Fragile Reunion
by hayleynymphadora
Summary: Tony Award Winning Shelby Corcoran and her wife Cassandra have come home to Lima after a stint on Broadway. They open up a School of the Arts, wanting to give back to the next generation. Deep down, Shelby sees this as a chance to make peace with the loss of her daughter she was forced to give up as a unwed teenager. Fate brings a little girl to their studio one cold snowy night.
1. A Little Girl

**Hello my lovelies! Okay, so one of my readers and someone who is quickly becoming a good friend, keeperofwords, had the thought for this wonderful story pop up in her mind and asked me to work with her on it. I am very excited and honored to be apart of it, and I'm already totally and completely in love with this story line.**

**Because of work and school and other stories and all that jazz, we've agreed that this will mostly be worked on only on weekends, and updates between chapters may sometimes be a bit slow.**

**However, the first two chapters were finished last night and will be posted up front.**

**We really hope you like it and tell us what you think!**

**Without further hesitation, we present to you, Fragile Reunion.**

**Love always, keeperofwords and hayleynymphadora**

**Chapter 1:**

"I'm sorry child, but the Library is closing for the night," the elderly librarian told the young girl who was sat on the floor, in front of the stacks of the section on American Theatre and Dance. The librarian knew the girl had come here every afternoon till closing for a week now. _Every day,_ she stayed till closing. The little girl had always been alone. Her clothes were dirty and she showed up on a daily basis in the same thing. It was cold. It had started to snow and the older woman hated to send her away in the frosty weather.

"What?" the girl looked up with sad, tired brown eyes. "I'm sorry. I was just looking at this big picture book on Rogers and Hammerstein. I am going to be on Broadway one day," the young girl said confidently.

"Well that is a pretty big dream for such a little girl but if you keep that air of confidence, you no doubt will succeed," the Librarian talked to the little girl as the young brunette closed the book and put it back on the shelf.

"Do you go to the School of Performing Arts?" the librarian asked, trying to befriend the girl. The older woman had a feeling that something was not quite right. But she was hesitant to call the police. She had a feeling this little girl would run. No, the head librarian knew that she needed to handle this gently.

"Where is that? I am not sure my parents would take me some place out of town? They are real busy and all. They have been dropping me off here while they are in meetings," the young girl lied easily. It had become a necessity. She had to stay one step ahead of those that would drag her back into the Foster Care System-particularly Reverend Andrews.

"It's just two blocks down from here, dear. The owners used to be on Broadway. I am surprised you have not heard at least of the women. Both are quite the celebrities. It was big news when they moved back here from New York and converted one of the old money mansions uptown that had been abandoned since the economy tanked in Lima a few years back." the librarian talked to the young girl. The older woman looked outside, it was steadily snowing now. She wanted to get home.

"I don't watch the news, just cartoons," the child lied again. The only television she remembered seeing was in school or when she was passing a store window. The girl put on her coat. Like it or not, she guessed she needed to go. She was not sure where she would end up tonight. She had not had a night in snow before. She had snuck in the back of the Baptist Church last night during Wednesday night services. But it was Thursday and the church was locked with no cars in the parking lot.

"Honey, I need to close now. I don't want to leave you outside in the cold snow in the dark. Can I call your parents on my cell phone?" the woman tried to gather some more information about the little girl's situation without being obvious. The librarian noticed however she had not been subtle. The young girl's posture stiffened and she started to back away from the kind older woman. The girl's brown eyes held an expression of fear.

"That's alright. They told me to meet them on the corner behind the library. I've got to go now," the young girl zipped up her red coat and rushed out the front door before taking off in a run. She ignored the librarian's plea to wait. The girl was not sure she should come back here. At least for a few days.

It was cold and she did not have any gloves or boots. She pulled up the hood on her coat and stuffed her hands in her pockets. She walked first one block and then two. In the back of her mind she remembered the librarian's words of the School of Performing Arts. She found herself looking around curiously at the old mansions. Some were still houses but most were businesses. It was then that she saw it. It was a grand old white house with tall white columns in the front. It reminded the girl of something she might see in one of those fancy neighborhoods where rich people had butlers, fancy cars, and big pools in the backyard.

In the front yard there was a wooden sign with a light from the ground shining up on it like a spotlight. It said Lima School of Performing Arts.

There was a microphone on one side of the sign and ballet shoes on the other. Inside the building the lights were still on. There were cars still on the street parked in front of the building. The young girl could hear music playing, and voices singing.

_Maybe a door is open and I can sneak in here for a while_, the young girl thought to herself. She looked around to make sure nobody was around to notice her then stepped into the grass and walked around the side of the old home-turned-studio. In the darkness, the girl looked for a side door, or porch to take a little shelter from the elements, or even a window she could slide open.

She sneezed.

_I'm tired_, she thought to herself. _I've got to find somewhere to sleep._

Her brown eyes were drawn to the big floor to the ceiling window beside her, behind what was probably a beautiful rose bush in the summer months.

A beautiful brunette woman sat behind a grand piano while another woman danced to the side of her with a bunch of what looked like teenagers. It was so fascinating, the girl did not want to leave the window.

_Yes, this is where I want to crash tonight, then tomorrow I've got to find some food,_ the young girl thought.

The girl forced herself to step away from the window and moved around the side of the house and to the back. There were two cars parked behind. There was also a back porch with a light on. Tentatively, the young girl stepped on the porch and eased her hand to the door handle.

Swallowing, she took a deep breath, turned the knob, and pushed. The door gave way and the young girl found herself standing in a kitchen. She thought it must be Christmas. On the table sat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that someone had taken one bite out of, an apple and a bottle of water. She stuffed the sandwich in her mouth, pushed the apple into her coat pocket and grasped the water bottle.

_Hide, I have to hide_, the girl thought to herself. Creeping carefully, she tried to decide just where. _Kitchen cabinet? Pantry? Closet? Where should I go?_

The sounds of footsteps made that decision for her. The girl rushed up a dark, narrow set of steps. She stumbled in what she soon figured was an attic. She held her breath as she heard a voice.

"Wow, hungry much? God, Shelby, if you were so starving I would've made you your own sandwich…"

The girl held her breath as the female voice grumbled and made another sandwich. The person turned off the kitchen light then walked away. Only when the music ended did the young girl pull the apple out of her pocket and take a bite. Below her she heard two women talking; their voices were soft and soothing. She took off her coat and made it into a pillow as she listened to the lilt of their voices and sometimes laughter. Safe and warm for the night, she fell asleep.


	2. Two Broadway Women

**Chapter 2:**

"That was a good class, don't you think?" Shelby smiled softly at her wife after the group of teenage girls had left the mansion. "I happen to think they have a lot of potential."

"They're getting there, that's for sure. They've come a long way." Cassandra replied, resting her foot against the back counter so she could unlace her ballet slippers. The toe shoes were really bothering her tonight and she was exhausted. After she took the slippers off, she pulled her long, wavy blonde hair back into a messy bun.

Shelby's soft smile spread into a full grin. Her voice was low and warm when she said, "That they have." she wrapped her arms around Cassandra's neck and placed a slow kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I know you're tired." she said. "But we still have a lot to do."

Cass sighed and placed her hands on Shelby's waist. "I know we do. I'm about to go lock the doors. By the way, was it really necessary for you to eat my sandwich? If you wanted one I would've made you one..."

Double blinking in a confused state, Shelby laughed lightly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"My...sandwich and apple I had sitting on the counter...I took a bite of the sandwich, walked out to talk to some students, came back in here and it was gone. Figured you must've taken it, who else goes into the kitchen?"

Shelby giggled, her brunette locks bouncing as she did so. "Well I have no idea what you're talking about, I was doing a voice lesson."

"...Oh..." Cassandra furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Well maybe one of the little brats got hungry." she smiled and rolled her eyes. "Who knows?" She leaned forward for a quick kiss, which was given. "I'm going to lock up, I'll meet you upstairs."

Shelby smiled against Cassandra's lips. "Okay."

Once Cassandra locked the front doors, she hit the lights in the studio and made her way up the grand staircase, which led to where she and Shelby lived. The mansion was not only their work, but their home. It was their life. A corporation and home they were excited to be a part of, together. After spending so many years on Broadway in New York, it was a nice and welcome change to be back in their hometown. They lived comfortably and they absolutely adored working with the kids.

She ascended the staircase slowly, her legs throbbing from all the dancing she had done, and her feet aching from her toe shoes. It was a good ache, for the most part, but all the same...

Just before reaching the bedroom that belonged to her and Shelby, she thought she heard a crash. She opened the door swiftly and saw Shelby getting things ready for a shower. Or maybe she was taking a bath, Cass noted, as she saw Shelby get out some lavender bath salts.

A lavender bath sounded absolutely heavenly. Especially if it meant taking one with Shelby.

Cass let out a hum and closed the bedroom door, slinking up behind Shelby and wrapping her arms around her. "Hello you," she whispered seductively into her ear, biting her earlobe softly.

"Hey," Shelby's voice was warm. Cassandra could practically hear her smile. She turned her head and kissed Cassandra's hand, as her wife had her arms wrapped around her chest.

"Are you planning on taking a bath?" Cass wondered innocently, a subtle hint of pleading in her voice.

Her subtlety seemed to work. Shelby let out a chuckle. "Why? You didn't want to join me, did you?"

"Mmm only if that's okay with you."

"Well then you'd better hurry up and take your clothes off." Shelby spun around and smiled at her.

Cass did as she was told and followed her wife to the master bath that was connected by a door to their bedroom. Inside was a white claw foot tub that Shelby and Cass often took advantage of. Shelby had already drawn the water and she sprinkled the salts in before Cass slipped into the tub, bubbles encasing her, and Shelby slid in quickly after.

Letting out a soft moan as Shelby's olive skin pressed against her, Cass pulled her closer and wrapped her legs around her. Shelby knew Cassandra's legs were tense and started working the knots out with her hands, forcefully but kindly.

Cassandra tilted her head back as a small smile spread to her lips. She loved how Shelby just always knew what to do. "Hey," she remembered the crash she thought she had heard earlier. "Did you crash into something before I walked up here?"

Shelby continued massaging, contemplating. "Not that I can recall..."

"Hmm." Cass pressed her lips to Shelby's neck. "First my sandwich then a crash. Maybe our perfect little dream home is haunted." she teased.

This thought made Shelby laugh. "Sweetheart, our house is anything but little."

"True enough."


	3. Barbra's Breakfast

**Another chapter finished sooner than we thought it would be! Guess we're super excited to keep going :)**

**Tell us what you think!**

**Hayley**

**Chapter Three: Barbra's Breakfast**

The little girl woke up to the most wonderful smells and sounds. The smell of coffee and bacon frying. And then there was the sounds down below her. She heard the sizzle of the bacon in the frying pan. The sound of a utensils beating struck in a metal bowl, and stirring. Then there was the sound of a cat. It was down below in the kitchen too. Then there was another sound; it was a woman's voice. She was talking to the cat. It was named Barbra.

"Barbra, you have had your breakfast, now get down!" the little girl heard, and then came the distinctive sound of a thud. The little girl could not suppress a giggle. She quickly sucked in her breath and put her tiny hand over her mouth.

_Yes, I like it here,_ the little girl said to herself, creeping slowly to the attic stairs and sliding down on her tummy. If she leaned over just so, she could see down into the kitchen.

There was the lady that had the beautiful brown hair. She was barefoot and singing to herself while she cooked.

_"__Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high…_

_There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby…"_

"She has a voice of a princess," the little girl said to herself. The girl could not see the face of the brunette, but she could see the cat. It was a Siamese with a long tail that was arched high in the air. The kitty rubbed against the lady's leg. It looked funny, and the little girl had to giggle.

_"__Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue…"_

The lady stopped singing for a moment.

"Cass? Did you call me?"

"No, and what are you doing down there anyway? Your singing sounds more like a giggling schoolgirl." Cass called from the top of the grand staircase. Shelby always got out of bed before she did, and she hated waking up without Shelby's body pressed against her.

"Just get down here and eat breakfast. I have to teach a Kinder Music Class at nine, and you have that meeting at the High School with Principal Figgins about us sponsoring the Wall Program."

The little girl watched the lady's feet move back and forth while she was cooking. She resumed singing and the cat kept meowing. It was very very funny. She giggled again. But then the cat turned its head. The little girl thought it might see her. It looked up and sniffed. Then the lady dropped food on the floor, as she nearly stumbled over top of the cat. Barbra turned around and ate the spilled food off of the floor instead.

"Damn it, Barbra, you made me spill Cassie's breakfast! You've had yours, now shoo!"

The little girl held her breath as she heard the sounds of plates being removed out of cabinet, and then the sounds of a spoon on the plate. Footsteps carried the plates out of the kitchen. A moment later, the lady's feet returned. The sound this time was of coffee being poured.

_It all smells so good,_ the little girl thought to herself. The cat was approaching her now. It sat on the bottom step and stared right at her. A surge of fright caused her to swallow nervously. Then the cat yawned, causing the little girl to expel a breath she did not know she was holding.

The girl's stomach growled. How could it not with such wonderful smells coming up and tempting her nose?

The sounds of talking, the clink of a fork to a plate and an occasional laugh helped the little girl realize that the coast for the moment was clear. There was food in that kitchen and it was there for the taking.

The stairs creaked as she slowly stepped down. But the talking in the other room did not stop, so the little girl carefully stepped over the cat and down to the kitchen counter. She saw the bacon first. She had never tasted bacon. She picked it up and chewed it carefully.

_YUCK!_ The young girl thought. She spit in on the floor. Then the little girl spotted scrambled eggs in the pain. Those, she knew she liked. Greedily, she picked the yellow fluffy food with her dirty hands and stuffed it into her mouth. The little girl knew what toast was as well; it had been one of her staple foods when she was younger. She thoughtfully nibbled, not caring that she was spilling crumbs on the floor while she suspiciously eyed a glass of juice. Carefully, she took a sniff, holding up the glass. It was apple juice. She drank the whole thing in four quick gulps, setting the glass back down by what looked to be a bottle of something.

Hearing the scoot of a chair, the little girl hopped over the cat and scurried back upstairs.

She hoped today she would hear more singing. If the blonde lady and brunette lady left the house, she would use the bathroom. For now she could hold it.

_Yep, I got a sweet thing here if I don't mess this up_, the little girl thought. The little girl lay back on her stomach at the top of the attic stairs. The blonde haired lady, (The little girl assumed her name was Cass, based on what she had been hearing), was coming in the kitchen.

"Barbra!" the little girl heard her scold the cat. "Shelbs? Did you feed the cat? She crawled into the frying pan, played in the egg, threw up what had to be bacon on the floor, and there are toast crumbs everywhere!"

"What?! Of course I fed her! You can't be serious..." the little girl heard the brown haired lady (Shelbs? Had to be short for Shelby, right?) Tell Cass.

"Well, I think she drank the apple juice you set out with my multivitamin too. No wonder she threw up on the floor." Shelby (that's what the young girl was going to call her in her head, anyways, until she was proven otherwise) pointed out.

"Shelbs, we obviously are not providing Barbra with enough variety in her diet. We need to get her some of that fancy refrigerated cat food in the pet store."

The little girl giggled again. The two ladies were just too funny. She liked it here. They thought the cat made the mess.

_Yes,_ the girl thought to herself. _I can handle these two and the cat. I am going to stay._

Shelby rolled her eyes and shoved Cass playfully. "Barbra already lives in a mansion and has her own room. I think she can deal with the food she's given, as well as whatever human food she makes us spill all over the floor."

Cass grinned. "Fair enough."

The little girl watched as the two women shared a sweet little kiss. The girl smiled softly. It had been a long time since she had seen such warmth and love in one house. She really really liked it here, and sincerely hoped she wouldn't be discovered too quickly. She was dying to stay.

She watched as Cass placed a hand to Shelby's waist and spun her around, pressing her up against the back counter. She could barely make out Cass whispering softly, "How did you sleep last night?"

Shelby's face grew slightly less flirtatious and a tad bit hard, the young girl noticed. "I slept fine."

"Shelby," Cass winced, wrapped a second arm around her wife's waist and pulling her close. "Please, just talk to me about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Cassie,"

The little girl took note that Cass was also sometimes called Cassie.

"Shelby, please. I know you don't want to talk about the nightmares, but maybe it would help—"

At this point, Shelby had spun around and faced the counter, forcing Cass to let go of her. "No!" she said, more forcefully than she had intended to. She tried to recover, as she turned to see Cass's shocked expression. "No, no. Baby…talking about it won't help."

"But…Shelby—"

"Please, can we just…go get ready for the day? Can we talk about this later?" Shelby was practically begging her as she started to clean up the kitchen; sweeping the floors hastily, shooing Barbra out of the room for the billionth time, and getting out the mop for the spit up bacon. Even if it was just on a part of the floor, Shelby could be pretty strict about cleanliness, at times.

Cass gave Shelby a solemn look. "Will we really talk about it later, Shelby?" she challenged, softly. Because Shelby always begged to talk about it later. And when later came she procrastinated further.

The little girl watched in confusion, her eyes wide. She was used to seeing fights and arguments but this was different than that. This was a calm serious discussion—the young girl had not been aware that those existed—and there was still somehow a loving tone to it all. Incredible.

Shelby nodded and Cass gave her neck a soft little kiss before helping her finish cleaning the kitchen. After which the women went upstairs to get ready.

The young girl felt slightly guilty for messing up the kitchen and making them clean it. She told herself she would try harder not to leave such a trail next time. At this point she had Barbra to blame, but the cat would not always be there to fall back on.

Speaking of the cat…

A meow sounded from right in front of the young girl and she stiffened, her eyes widening in a slight moment of fear. This cat didn't know her—what if it bit or scratched her? Besides, the more that Barbra meowed near the girl, the sooner the women would find out the girl was there. She put a finger to her lips in a pleading fashion and reached down slowly to pet the cat.

Barbra sniffed at the little girl hesitantly, testing the waters, before padding towards her and allowing her to pet the top of her head.

"Good kitty." The little girl whispered.

_Look at that!_ She thought to herself. _I've already made a new friend!_

This, the girl knew, was the home she needed to be in. It was loving, and safe, and friendly, and warm. It was home to the Performing Arts—which had only been her dream ever since she could remember!

Now if only she could keep her living there a secret.


	4. A Haunted Day

**And another chapter, surprisingly ready for you before the weekend. **

**A pre-weekend gift to you all, my lovelies. A bit of a longer chapter, as well.**

**We've had so much fun working on this story.**

**We don't own the lyrics to Hushabye Mountain (which is from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) Or from Tomorrow (From Annie) or the song River Flows in You (Yiruma).**

**And also, because I forgot to put a disclaimer, we don't own Glee.**

**Chapter 4: A Haunted Day**

_"A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain_

_Softly blows o'er lullaby bay._

_It fills the sails of boats that are waiting-_

_Waiting to sail your worries away.__"_

Shelby sang and played piano, pausing for the allotted number of counts after each verse so her Kinder Music class could repeat after her. This was a very talented group of kids. Well of course they were-they had to audition to get into the school, so they were all talented, and none of them were in any way tone deaf. In fact, some of them were as advanced as harmonizing the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang song. A widespread grin appeared on Shelby's face as she continued to play. She _lived_ to teach these children music.

_"__It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain_

_And your boat waits down by the quay._

_The winds of night so softly are sighing-_

_Soon they will fly your troubles to sea.__"_

This time around she heard a voice she didn't recognize. A beautiful young soprano, but definitely from someone older than five...Shelby's ears were trained well. She listened harder after the final verse, to see if she could pick out who it was. She knew it wasn't Cassie-for one, Cass was a mezzo-soprano, and secondly, she was at William McKinley High School, talking to Figgins about a music program.

_"__So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain._

_Wave good-bye to cares of the day._

_And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain_

_Sail far away from lullaby bay.__"_

The voice seemed to be coming from above her, not in front of her. She squiggled her eyebrows in contemplation and smiled as her Kinder Music class finished the song beautifully.

Shelby shrugged it off. She'd figure it out later. But it was just...odd. The tiniest bit unsettling. Perhaps one of her girls had been practicing much more at home than she thought they were. Getting an idea, she went through each girl in the class and had them sing the last verse as a solo.

It wasn't Lydia; her voice was pretty but not right. Monique's voice gave the same results.

She listened to girl after girl and by the end of her experiment she still hadn't found the voice she was looking for.

This was puzzling indeed.

Shelby laughed to herself about it, thinking jokingly that perhaps it was the ghost that Cassie had insinuated the night before. The one that caused that mysterious crash.

Placing her hands at the piano once more, she started playing scales for her class to start singing. As they did so, Shelby glanced out the window. It was December fifteenth, and snow was falling steadily, leaving a soft, thin white blanket coating the ground. As the sun rose, it left an orange sparkling glow, casting in through the huge window and shining down upon the studio. Winter was beautiful, Shelby thought to herself, but the fact that it was December made her stomach churn. December was always the hardest month to cope with.

Her heart racing, she tried not to think about her nightmares. She tried not to think about the fact that it was December. It was only the 15th, after all. Not yet the 18th. She pretended it was still November. Yes. November was a good month. She wished Cassie was here, dancing as a beautiful distraction. She needed her beautiful distraction.

She didn't want to think about it.

She wasn't going to think about it.

So she didn't. She just continued to play. She focused on the music. The music. That was her baby now.

. . .

After an excruciatingly long meeting about supporting an Arts program at William McKinley High School, Cass was happy to be walking back into the mansion. It was already going on noon; her college freshman class would be in at 12:30 and Cassandra desperately needed to talk to Shelby. She knew it was going to be a hard day for her-it was already the 15th of December. Of course, December the 15th was not nearly as bad of a day as December the 18th was. December the 18th was a day they shut the school down for. A mourning day.

But the month of December brought the strongest nightmares. The roughest nights. The longest days. As if winter months weren't long enough already.

Cassandra spied Shelby in the studio, playing _River Flows in You_ by Yiruma on the Grand Piano. Her fingers flew effortlessly across the keys. She was focused, Cass noticed. She was trying her absolute best not to think. And she had been succeeding. For even though Shelby always noticed when Cassandra walked into a room, (and today was no exception), she didn't look up. She just kept playing. Cass walked slowly over towards her, to the pace of the music. She took off her pea coat, her scarf, her beret, and her boots. She dropped her purse in the corner, and started an impromptu ballet dance to the song.

She danced, her arms like ribbons around her; her body spiraling and swirling and jumping. When she struck a pose mid-air she appeared like a bird. Like a raven. A gorgeous raven.

The song ended and Cassandra, breathless, made her way over to Shelby, who finally looked up. After a gentle greeting kiss, Cassie whispered, "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"I'm okay." Shelby whispered, a faint smile on her lips.

Cassie sat down on Shelby's lap and was cradled by her. "Just okay?" Cass asked lovingly.

Shelby nodded. "But it's better than not okay." she pointed out.

"It is better than not okay." Cassandra agreed.

. . .

Don't cry, the little girl thought to herself as she looked at Shelby, who had tears swimming in her gorgeous green eyes. _The lady liked singing, right?_ The little girl realized. The little girl remembered the musical they did it school. It was by some people who came in for an assembly.

It was from a musical called Annie.

_"__Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow_

_You're always a day away."_

The little girl found herself singing from her place at top off the attic steps. She knew she was taking a huge risk in doing so, but she did not like how sad the brown haired lady seemed. She didn't understand why Shelby was so upset—while she was teaching the Kinder Music class, she had seemed so happy.

The girl's song did not seem to work like she had hoped. Shelby seemed to be crying now. The little girl hoped she would not have to try singing the church songs that she knew. Those were the only songs her foster parent preacher had ever let her sing. Any other song, and she got herself a spanking.

When she ran away, she realized she could sing anytime and had done so down by the grocery store, and some lady had given her money. The little girl realized she must be a pretty good singer, if people gave her dollar bills for it. She learned if she sang long enough, she got money to go into the store and buy food. She needed to learn some new songs though. Maybe Shelby and Cassie could teach her new songs to sing. She would just keep trying to sing with them, so she learned the words.

She really had to go to the bathroom now. Down the steps she crept, after pushing her new friend off of her lap. The yellow haired lady and the brown haired lady were hugging and kissing, so the young girl easily stepped in a tiny half bath by the kitchen and used it without their noticing. She dare not flush less she be heard. The little girl realized that if she was going to stay here, she was going to have to start going to the bathroom when the two ladies were asleep.

The little girl did a quick look in the mirror. She looked terrible. There was a brush in the bathroom. She quickly tried to run it through her long brown hair. It pulled because it was full of tangles. Deciding she best get back to the attic, the little girl slipped back into the hall. The brown haired lady and yellow haired lady were still kissing each other softly; Cassie whispering promises of "It'll be okay". The little girl had no idea people kissed that much. It made her giggle again.

The yellow haired lady pulled her lips away from Shelby's and looked in the little girl's direction. Quickly, she backed against the wall. One of her dirty hands pressed firmly against it while the other held the brush still.

The little girl held her breath and watched. Talking, talking, and talking; now she could move. Back to the kitchen she went. She thought about how sad Shelby was. She reached into the fruit bowl and ate several grapes. Suddenly, she had an idea.

On the counter, the little girl made a smiley face of grapes. She hoped the brown haired lady would see it. Kitty had gone down the hall towards the ladies. Regretfully, the little girl made her way back to the attic.

She could not wait until Shelbs came into the kitchen. It was not until she got upstairs that she realized she left the hairbrush beside the grapes. Footsteps were coming her way, though, preventing her from putting it back where she found it. Hopefully they would think the cat did it.

. . .

Cassandra knew how to treat Shelby when the date that Shelby dreaded the most started so quickly approaching. She had to be treated with care. With a gentle hand. A gentle touch, whispered words, and soft kisses. She had to be reassured. She had to be allowed to mourn.

Because Shelby Corcoran did not often cry. Or show emotion.

But Cassie knew that side of her. And Cassie knew her weakest point; her strongest regret, her saddest memory. The day that made her heart shatter. The day that broke her into a million pieces, like a broken glass figure.

The shattered dreams of a woman.

And that day was coming up far too soon.

After making and eating lunch, Shelby seemed in a slightly lighter mood, which both she and Cassandra were grateful for. By the time Cassandra was done teaching her college freshman class, Shelby was laughing with her, being her partner in dance as Cassandra finished it by introducing a waltz to the students.

At the end of the dance Shelby smiled warmly at Cassandra and Cassie couldn't help but to smile back. Shelby's mega-watt grins always lit up the entire ballroom.

After the doors were locked for the night, the two women decided to relax by the fire. As Shelby started said fire, Cassie went out to the kitchen once more to make some tea for the two of them. By the bowl of grapes, she spotted her hair brush. She smiled, confused, and picked it up, scrutinizing it. Wondering why it would possibly be in the kitchen for one, and then spying, no mistake, some brunette hairs hanging off of it. She smirked and looked down at the cupboard next to it. A smiley face of grapes.

"Shelby," she called out to the living room. Her voice practically echoed in the large house. "Did you use my hairbrush?"

This made Shelby giggle, her voice sounding like bells. "Why would I use your hairbrush, Cassie?" she asked. "I have my own, in case you've forgotten."

"Well I had been thinking that YOU had forgotten that little detail," she scrunched her nose in confusion. "Come here…"

Rolling her eyes and grinning like the lovesick fool that she was, Shelby made her way towards Cassie in the kitchen. She spotted the smiley face of grapes, and she smiled. "What?" she wondered.

Cassie wordlessly planted her hairbrush in Shelby's hands. Shelby looked down at it. "Um…yes, this is your hairbrush."

"It has _your_ hair on it." Cassie insisted.

"It does not!" Shelby defended with a grin. "Why would it? I don't USE your hairbrush!"

"Well then HOW do you explain your hair in my hairbrush?" It wasn't that Cassie really cared that Shelby had used it, she was just curious as to what the hell it was doing in the kitchen.

Shelby just laughed and bumped hips with her lover. "Maybe it's that ghost of yours playing tricks on you." She kissed Cassie's cheek softly. "I'm going to the bathroom. Then maybe we can watch a movie?"

"Don't you think we should…talk?" Cass said. She wasn't often this sentimental, but she knew that if Shelby didn't start talking about her feelings, she was going to have a meltdown by the time the 18th came around. And everyone knew what those were like. They weren't healthy.

"Later?" Shelby practically begged, rushing out of Cassie's sight before Cass could argue otherwise.

If they waited until much later, later would never come.

Shelby yelled from the bathroom, "Cass! Flushing the toilet is customary!"

Cassie double blinked and spun around upon being accused. "What the hell are you talking about?! How do you just ASSUME it was me?!"

"Who else uses our bathroom?"

"Maybe it was one of the students, perhaps? We only have a billion! I flush the damn toilet…" This was not the conversation she'd had in mind. She rolled her eyes and continued to make the tea.

"Students don't use this bathroom," Shelby pointed out.

Confused and a bit concerned, Cass realized Shelby was right.

So if Cassie hadn't done it and Shelby hadn't done it…who had?

"Maybe it's your ghost!" Shelby yelled back after a silence.

Maybe. Just maybe.

Or maybe, Cass thought to herself, they weren't alone in that mansion of theirs. But she wasn't going to worry Shelby with such thoughts. Not on a day so close to the 18th.

Shrugging off both incidents, even if they did seem a bit peculiar, Cassie and Shelby snuggled by the fire late into the night. They lay across the couch, Shelby wrapped in Cassandra's arms. Eventually, Shelby drifted asleep, her thoughts of the day that she had been trying to very hard to push aside, catching up to her. Cassandra watched as Shelby's mind touched the dream world, her breathing slowing and her muscles relaxing. She ran her hands softly through Shelby's long brunette hair, placing a soft kiss to the top of Shelby's head.

Thirty minutes into this and her nightmares started.

_It was December 18__th__, 1994, when a sixteen year old Shelby went into labor. She was to have a daughter. Her strict parents, both Catholic, set in their ways, and tired of Shelby's constant love of theatre and "need for attention", didn't like it._

_ "__You little slut! How could you?!" They had sent her way, to an unwed teenage mother's home, to have her baby. The baby was to be given up for adoption. Shelby was not going to be allowed to keep her own child._

_But Shelby wasn't going without a fight._

_She screamed through the pain of her labor, trying to breath, sweat dripping down her forehead. "YOU WON'T TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!" she kicked and fought the restraints that held her down. If she fought much harder it was possible she would hurt the baby. She paused her physical struggle, knowing this, but her vocal fight raged on. "YOU CAN'T! I HAVE RIGHTS, SHE IS MINE! PLEASE! Please…" she was growing weaker. She was getting drowsy. She was exhausted._

_Her parents watched, horrified at the scene. They had not raised their little Shelby to behave like this. To be like this. They wondered how she had gotten so out of hand. They blamed her love and passion for the arts, which were always so racy, so risqué, so raw. They prayed for Shelby's soul. They refused leniency. _

_ "__You have NO RIGHT," Her mother yelled back at her as Shelby screamed through tears, through pain. They would give her no morphine. Her father told her she deserved this pain and Shelby took it gladly, as long as it was for her baby girl. She just wanted her little girl to be safe. She wanted to hold her in her arms. "YOU ARE OUR DAUGHTER AND YOU MADE A MISTAKE AND NOW YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES." _

_ "__I WANT MY DAUGHTER." Shelby yelled, feeling drained, unsure now if she could actually give birth to her little girl. She clearly had no support system behind her, and she was so tired…and it hurt so badly…_

_She almost longed for the baby girl's father to be there, holding her hand. At least he would be there. But no. No, she knew she didn't want that. He was nothing to her, and nothing to the baby. He wanted nothing to do with the little girl and gave in easily when Shelby's parents insisted the baby be given up. _

_She was alone, this she knew._

_She needed to get out._

_And right now she needed to push. _

_But that wasn't something she wanted to do. The sooner her baby girl was born, the sooner she would be taken away. Forever._

_She let out another scream. Of anguish. Of pain. This was pure torture. She absolutely hated this._

_She hated herself for sleeping with that foolish boy. She knew she didn't like boys anyways._

_Oh, what had she gotten herself into?!_

Shelby wept in her sleep and Cassie looked down at her, sadly. She was afraid to wake her lover—sometimes it scared Shelby even more when she was awoken. Silent tears slid down her cheeks and she clung to Cassie tightly. Cassie kissed the top of her head and smoothed her hair down slowly. Shelby was sweating. She was terrified, and she was shaking in Cassie's arms and Cassie was about to wake her when Shelby screamed, shrill and scared and sad,

"NO!"

Her eyes shot open; wild, terrified, lost. She scanned the room and Cassie whispered a reassurance of her presence.

"I'm here, Shelby, baby. It's okay." Cassie rocked her slowly. "You're okay, sweetheart. You're okay."

"I'm…" Shelby cried a bit harder. "Oh, Cassie. I'm so sorry. You must think me so weak—"

"I _never_ think you are weak, my love."

"You must think me so pathetic. It's just—"she held tight to Cassie, spinning around so that they were now facing each other. She pressed her face into Cassie's neck and wept.

"You are not pathetic, you are not weak. You are so strong. You are aching, and it is natural and it is understandable, Shelby, I promise you it's all going to be okay." Cassie whispered a response. "I'm so so sorry. It's just a dream, love, you're awake now."

"But it's not, it's not just a dream." Shelby told her, her tears wetting Cassie's neck. "It was real, it was all real."

"Talk to me, Shelby," Cassandra pleaded.

But Shelby shook her head slowly. "Please just hold me." Shelby whispered.

. . .

The little girl watched in concern as Shelby wept and screamed the word "No!" She didn't understand what was happening and she felt so sad that the pretty brunette was sobbing so hard. She just wanted to give her a big hug.

She listened as Cassandra sang softly to Shelby, trying to soothe her. She recognized the song that Shelby was teaching her class earlier in the day.

"_So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,_

_Wave good-bye to cares of the day._

_And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain_

_Sail far away from lullaby bay."_

Cassandra's voice was just as beautiful, the young girl thought, as Shelby's was. And watching the women so sadly holding each other, so prettily singing, sobbing and so hurt, made a tear or two fall from the big brown eyes of the wandering young lady. She wished Cassandra would hold her and rock her too. She wished Shelby would stop being so sad. She wished for the love they shared. For any love at all.

For the first time that night, it dawned on the young girl that she was alone.

That she didn't want to be alone anymore.

She watched as Cassandra lifted Shelby and walked her to their bedroom, cradling the grown woman in her arms. The little girl thought it odd, for her to be carrying the woman up the stairs, since she was grown, but recognized that Shelby was too heartbroken to walk. She didn't know why she was so upset, but she wished she wasn't anymore.

The two older women were upstairs in their bedroom at this point. Cassie had put Shelby under the covers and crawled under them herself. She wrapped her arms around Shelby, spooning her, and, feeling comforted and slightly more relaxed, Shelby's ultimate exhaustion got the best of her once more.

Sleepy, the young girl decided to try to rest as well.

Her dreams were much different than Shelby's were.

_Shelby and Cassie called the young girl down the stairs to breakfast. Cassie made faces at the little girl through spaces bitten off from her pancakes. The little girl giggled at her silliness and Shelby smiled from the stove, turning her head to look at her lover and her little girl._

_Her little girl?_

_Yes, in her dream the little girl was Shelby's little girl. Shelby and Cassie's. She was their daughter._

_They drank juice and laughed and Cassie had to rush to the sink as she laughed so hard the juice spewed out of her mouth. Shelby rolled her eyes and gave her a quick peck on the lips before the two mothers hugged their little girl tightly and peppered her with kisses._

_They spent their days singing and dancing and putting on shows. _

_They were happy and they were a family, and it was a loving environment. Something the little girl had never truly been a part of before. It felt so lovely. It felt magical._

When the young girl woke, her curiosity made the decisions for her feet. She walked, without even thinking about it, up the stairs and towards the bedroom of Cassie and Shelby. She opened the door slowly, thankful it didn't make a sound.

The two women were fast asleep in each other's arms, tears drying on Shelby's cheeks, and Cassie' s lips pressed to the back of Shelby's neck.

The young girl sat at the foot of their bed and watched them, curiously.

Wishing they were her mothers.

Wishing they could be a real family.

Debating actually showing herself to them sometime soon; maybe then, she thought, Shelby wouldn't be so sad all the time.

She wished nobody would be sad ever again.

Carefully the little girl made her to the side of the bed where Shelby lay asleep.

She carefully stretched up her fingers and touched the soft curly brown hair.

"It will be ok. Don't cry. Sweet Dreams."


	5. Blame it on the Cat

**Another chapter finished, my lovelies!**

**We're trying to work on this whenever we have time. I've been sick for the past week so we've been trying to work through that.**

**We apologize for short chapters, we know you want them to be longer, but the way we have the story set up, long chapters just aren't what we're going for.**

**But look at it this way-shorter chapters means faster updates!**

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley**

**Chapter 5: Blame it on the Cat**

"I had the most wonderful dream," the little girl heard Shelby's voice floating up into the attic. The youngster had done enough exploring in her new attic home so that she had made a very cool discovery. There was a certain place in the room that you could hear down into the floors below. It was in the heating and air vent. The girl so desperately wanted to hear about the dream, but her bladder was making it known that she had a pressing need. The girl knew that Shelby and Cass were talking below in their room and nowhere near the bathroom, so she made a dash for it.

Down the stairs the girl dashed, not being particularly careful. The little girl's foot landed right in Barbra's food bowl. Dry cat kibble scattered all over the kitchen floor. The little girl had no time to dwell on that though because she really had to go. She bounded into the bathroom, opened the toilet lid and took care of her needs. She sighed happily and automatically turned around and flushed. She cringed as she let go of the flusher. It was too late. She hoped that they did not hear her. She absentmindedly left the lid open. It was then that she noticed another thing: She had used the rest of the toilet paper on the roll. She hoped they would not notice that either. The little girl knew she was going to have to be more careful.

_Pay attention_, the girl chastised herself, turning into the mirror to look at her appearance. _I am filthy_, she told herself.

The little girl honestly had no idea when the last time she had been clean was. She could not afford to draw attention to herself by stinking up the house. The girl wondered if she could sneak a bath somehow. The girl wondered if Shelby and Cass ever left the house. They would have to as some point, she determined, and when they did she was going to get clean and wash her clothes in the tub. All she could do till they left was try to brush her hair again in her very long brown hair.

_Darn it, these snarls_, the girl complained about her tangles, trying to get the brush to slide through her hair. _It's not working very good. I need to wash my hair_, she grumped to herself. Looking at herself in the mirror, she asked herself a question putting her hands on her hips in a dramatic pose.

"I wonder what I can do today to distract Shelbs so she is not sad today," she asked her mirrored self. After a pause of thought, she replied, "Thank you. That is a wonderful idea. She won't have time to be sad. Now, do I blame it on the cat or the ghost?"

The girl in the mirror did not answer but she knew how she would make the yellow haired and brown haired ladies blame, the cat. On the top of the toilet lid sat a new roll of toilet paper. With an impish grin, the little girl picked up the roll and started to toilet paper the bathroom floor and sink. She then stepped into the hall and let the roll go in a long line down the hall. She broke off the paper and began again. She made two passes in the hall with the paper and then made her way into the dance studio.

_Doing this room will be fun_, the little girl remarked to herself. She tackled the piano bench first, wrapping paper around the legs then throwing it across the keys. She then wrapped paper around the piano legs. The brown haired girl then rolled the roll of toilet paper across the length of the studio. She did not stop her efforts till it looked like the high school after the team won a football game.

_Oh, yeah, that will take a while to clean up_, the girl thought to herself with a smile walking back down the hall rolling the paper towards the kitchen ending it at the cats spilled food bowl.

_I hope Barbara does not get in to much trouble_, the little girl thought, then decided they were not like the Reverend or any of those foster parents she had in the past. They would probably just hug the cat like they do each other. The little girl made sure she stomped some off the kibble into bits, making a mess on the floor.

_Shelby will be so busy cleaning up the mess she won't have time to be sad,_ the girl looked at her handiwork. She took an extra moment to place the hairbrush back on the kitchen counter where it would be seen. She could not wait to see the reaction of the mess or whether they blamed the cat or the ghost.

Hearing movement on the creaking, old wooden floor above her head, the little girl decided it was now time to make her exit upstairs to the attic. She wondered what Shelbs was going to make for breakfast today. She was hungry and had worked up an appetite. She cat kibble crunched under her bare feet as she went upstairs. It was going to be a great day.

"I am taking you out for breakfast and that's final. Your kiddos won't be here for another two hours," the voice that belonged to the woman named Cassie floated up through the vent. The little girl could hear some loud exaggerated smooches too. It made her roll her eyes. She wasn't used to people being so lovey all the time. After some loud thumps down the stairs and a voice saying they could feed the cat her wet food when they get back, the front door shut.

_Darn, there goes my breakfast and they did not even come back this direction and see the mess I created,_ the little girl thought to herself. She poked her front lip into a pout until she realized that this was her opportunity.

_But hey wait, I can get my bath because Shelbs and Cass are gone. Yes!_ She thought to herself. She petted Barbra as she came down the attic stairs.

"Bath and then I check the fridge for breakfast," the little girl promised herself as she walked up the stairs and towards the master suite like she owned the place.

The girl stripped off of her dirty clothes in the ladies bedroom and stepped into the bathroom. She had never seen a bathtub like the one in front of her. The little girl felt it was more like a swimming pool. It was so shiny and beautiful. She took her time and enjoyed getting clean. She liked the smell of the ladies soap and shampoo. It smelled like strawberries, and she loved strawberries.

And now she would smell like the pretty ladies.

Almost like they really lived together, as a family.

Even if they didn't know who she was, it was a nice thought.

After she climbed out, she did not drain the water. Instead, she went back into the bedroom, grabbed her clothes, and washed them out as best as she could. She would dry them upstairs in the attic, but in the meantime she needed something to wear. A towel wrapped around her tiny body, the girl checked the dresser drawers and dug around in them. She could not wear the panties, but there was a pair of sweat-shorts with a drawstring waist she thought may work and would be like long pants. In another drawer, the girl found an "I love New York" shirt. She put on both leaving, her feet bare and cold. She hoped she'd grow used to the temperature, sure that heat would be turned on once the women got back to the mansion.

After setting her clothes to dry by a window in the morning sun, the little girl worked on finding some breakfast. She opened the fridge and her eyes lit up with approval. There was a big bowl of fruit salad with fresh grapes, strawberries, blue berries, pineapple and melon. The little girl set it on the counter and picked out the strawberries and blueberries till they were all gone. While she chewed, she thought about how things were going so far.

She liked it here. She liked Shelbs and Cass too. She wished they could be her mom's but she was scared. She had not had the best luck with adults. It was hard for her to trust anyone, particularly adults. She would stay hidden for now. It was working out so far and part of it was fun. Not hungry anymore, the little girl made her way back to the attic with Barbra following her. She could not wait for the singer and dancer to get home.

. . .

"All I'm saying," Cassie said as she and Shelby walked through the door after a nice breakfast of blueberry muffins and coffee. The two women occupied themselves with taking off their coats and scarves and gloves before hanging them on the coat rack by the door as Cass continued. "…Is that in able to get them to focus more you have to give them incentives. They are children, and if you give them a reason to work harder…they will."

"Right," Shelby nodded, glad that Cassandra had been very busily keeping her mind on work and Broadway and basically anything but the loss of her daughter almost nine years ago. "But we can't treat our young students the same way we treat our older students, Cassie." She scolded.

Cassandra shrugged as they headed towards the studio to get things set up. "Why not? We're preparing them for the real world, right? For Broadway? Broadway is vicious."

"But starting at the age of five?" Shelby contradicted. "Isn't that a little harsh?"

"I suppose so. But you didn't marry me because I'm nice." She smirked.

Shelby smirked back. "No, I married you because—"but the mess in the studio caught her eye before she could finish the sentence. Cassandra had been staring at Shelby and had yet to notice it. "Holy shit." Shelby's jaw dropped.

"…What?" Cass confusedly looked up and nearly screamed. "What the HELL happened to our studio?! Shelby I'm starting to think we have squatters in this damned mansion."

Stepping into their studio, which was completely covered in toilet paper, Cass and Shelby wasted no time taking it down. They had students coming in very soon.

"…Maybe," Shelby said after a minute of wrapping the toilet paper around her arm to pick it up faster. From the top of the staircase, the little girl smiled to herself. Now Shelby was almost too busy to talk, so she couldn't have time to be sad or think about sad things! Her plan was working perfectly. "Maybe Barbra did it."

"How would my cat do this? You're always blaming the cat…" Cass muttered, getting the toilet paper off of the stereo and unwrapping it from the legs of the Grand Piano.

"Well I suppose you think it was who then, your ghost friend? Because neither one of us did this…"

The little girl covered her mouth as she laughed lightly. So they had decided to blame both the cat AND the ghost. She was starting to realize that even though Cass and Shelby loved each other very much they didn't always see eye to eye. This confused the young girl slightly. She had been under the impression that when you really loved someone you agreed on everything. _Maybe_, she thought to herself, _I can learn a lot from these two. They can teach me more than the Reverend could._

"Shelby I'm seriously starting to think we aren't alone in this house…" Cassie's voice carried a tone of warning but Shelby didn't want to get too ahead of things. There had to be another logical explanation, right? They hadn't ruled out ALL forms of logic…had they?

"Well maybe Barbra really did do this…treated the toilet paper like yarn?" she suggested.

"…I guess it's a possibility," Cassandra was doubtful. She went into the bathroom to throw away the toilet paper she had collected and then groaned aloud in protest. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she demanded.

The little girl laughed but also felt sort of bad. She didn't want to upset Cassie. She had just wanted to distract Shelby. But reflecting back on Cass's expression and tone of voice, she didn't seem truly angry so much as she sounded confused and a bit exasperated.

"What?" Shelby questioned, finishing cleaning up the studio.

"The bathroom is covered too!" Cass said. She found her hairbrush covered in Shelby's hair again. "And stop using my hair brush, damn it!" she laughed as she requested the second half of her sentence.

"I'm not!" Shelby sashayed into the bathroom to help Cassie clean it. "Or maybe I am without realizing it."

"Well it must be you because last I checked my hair doesn't change colors throughout the day and our cat's hair definitely does not look like that." She paused before asking. "Ghosts don't have hair, do they?"

"Not physical locks of it that I can imagine…" Shelby mumbled before realizing how ridiculous they sounded. "Oh for Christ's sake, Cassie, a ghost hasn't done this."

"Maybe we're just more distracted with everything than we thought." Cass sighed, finishing cleaning up as much toilet paper as she could find and cleaning out her hairbrush. "We need to just…go start our classes. Yours will be here in ten minutes."

"I'm going to change." Shelby said, making her way up the stairs. Cass realized she should probably change too and followed her to their bedroom to do so.

Cass dug through her dresser drawer but couldn't for the life of her find her drawstring sweat-shorts that she wanted to put on. She put her hands on her hips.

"Shelby, do you think I'm going crazy?" she asked with a huff.

Shelby laughed from where she was changing in their walk-in closet. "Why do you ask that?"

"I can't find anything and our house is being taken over by ghosts and I just feel…crazy."

Shelby finished clasping her bra before walking out towards Cassandra and spinning her around, kissing her passionately. She tapped her lightly on the ass before heading back to the closet to finish getting dressed. "You're not crazy, baby. You're just Cassie."

"Crazy Cassie." Cass mumbled to herself. "Seems fitting. Imagine if THAT hit the Broadway headlines." She said a bit louder so Shelby could hear.

The little girl heard them talking through the vent and wondered if maybe Cassie was looking for the pants that the young girl was wearing. She felt a little guilty for stealing them, but she really liked wearing Cass and Shelby's clothes. It made her feel like she belonged. And they were very comfy.

She laughed at Cassie calling herself crazy. If only she knew it wasn't ghosts, but a little girl.


	6. Talking to the Cat and Music Class

**We don't own any lyrics to anything.**

**Sorry this took a while to upload. We've been busy and then I had a trip to the hospital and things have just been hectic.**

**Hope you like it! Tell us what you think!**

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley**

**Chapter 6: Talking to the Cat and Music Class**

When Cassie and Shelby saw the mess in the kitchen a few minutes later, Shelby about had a conniption. "Cassandra I might just have to murder your cat!"

"You won't touch Barbra!" Cassie ran down the stairs to save her beloved. "You adore her and you know it!"

"LOOK at what she did to my kitchen." Shelby stomped her foot, feeling fed up and slightly overwhelmed.

Cassandra froze as she saw Shelby's eyes filled with deep concern. At least she wasn't thinking about the loss of her daughter. However, she was very picky when it came to cleaning and there was no way she was going to start her class in…three minutes now…with her kitchen looking like…well like _this_.

Slowly, she put her hands on Shelby's arms, running them down the length of her. "Take a deep breath, sweetheart…." She glanced at the cat kibble scattered on the floor. "The cat didn't mean to—"

"No. Screw this, I'm scolding the cat. BARBRA JULY."  
><em>Meowwwwwwwww<em>. The cat jumped and stumbled, upon being awoken by one of her masters. She tried to scatter away, seeing that Shelby was in a yelling sort of mood.

"Do you see what you've done?!" Shelby asked, picking Barbra up. "Why would you do this?! I have more things to do than clean up your messes, little one! I have a class to teach! We cannot do this again, understood?"

Shelby put Barbra back down and crossed her arms to show that she was upset with her little pet. "No treats for you tonight, little missy. Away now. Go!"

The smart little cat did as she was told and a ping of pain stabbed through Shelby's heart. She had scolded the cat and called her "little one". She imagined, if she still had her little girl, she would have been referred to as "little one". She shook her head, trying to shake the horrible feelings she was having.

"Cassie, I have to clean this, will you please start warm ups with my class for me?"

With a nod, Cass headed to the studio, after placing a sweet kiss to Shelby's temple. She knew better than to argue with the brunette woman when she was like this.

. . .

"Don't look at me like that Barbara, I don't think they were to mad at you?" the little girl said to the Siamese cat that sat grooming herself on the little girl's make shift bed of pillows and blankets.

"I mean, they did not even put you in the dark closet for a day or kick you or anything," the little girl told the cat, thoughtfully. "I know, you and I are friends now and I guess that means I should not do anything that gets you into trouble…" She looked at the sleek, exotic animal curiously. "Have they ever beaten you with a belt?"

Barbra looked up at the little girl and yawned. The cat stood, walked around in a circle, and curled up into herself. The cat watched the little girl, with sleepy eyes.

"I don't see why you sleep so much Barbra," the girl carried on her conversation, "After all it is so fun here. You could go dance to some sunbeams in the dance studio. Of course, someone might step on you. I guess I understand why you stay out of that room. But hey, you could go sleep on the grand piano with Shelby. She might even let you walk on the keys and make your own music!" The little girl reached over and stroked the animal. "I am being silly. You know that. I just think if I could and if I was you, I would be downstairs and not in this attic." The little girl was rewarded with a kitty purr.

"Thanks Barbra. You are a good friend and my very first one," the girl told the cat thoughtfully, now stroking the cats back and under her chin. "Thanks for being here with me so I won't be lonely."

. . .

_Have a Holly Jolly Christmas_

_It's the best time of the year._

_I don't know if there'll be snow_

_But Have a cup of cheer._

Children danced about the studio under Cassandra's direction, while Shelby played piano. Shelby and Cassie harmonized for the lyrics of the song and watched the students carefully. They were doing a phenomenal job.

_Have a holly, jolly Christmas;_

_And when you walk down the street_

_Say Hello to friends you know_

_and everyone you meet_

Cass rounded the corner of the grand piano as she and her wife sang the next verse, knowing that the girls and boys had the dance learned perfectly by now.

_Oh ho_

_the mistletoe_

_hung where you can see;_

_Somebody waits for you;_

_Kiss her once for me_

Shelby and Cass gave each other a quick peck on the cheek before starting the next verse; the children giggled at the two women and scrunched their nose, thinking it so adorable and so scandalous for adults to be *gasp* kissing each other on the cheek!

_Have a holly jolly Christmas_

_and in case you didn't hear_

_Oh by golly_

_have a holly_

_jolly Christmas this year_

The little girl in the attic sang along with the children and the two women down below. There were some kids dancing around with vibrant red and green ribbons as the other kids were singing under Shelby's direction a second time through. They were so good.

_Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer_

_Had a very shiny nose_

_And if you ever saw it_

_You would even say it glows…_

The little girl was watching from the kitchen now; she could not help it. She watched Cassie dancing with some of the girls to the music. It looked so fun. She wished she knew how to dance. She imagined Cass teaching her. The girl crept back onto the attic steps when she heard the song end. It seemed that the night's practice was ending. The day's classes had been just as exciting to witness. She wished things could be fun every day of her life. She wished she hadn't spent so much time _not_ in the mansion with Shelby and Cass.

"Remember we have only three days until our Christmas Recital," Rachel heard Shelby's voice echo through the register. "We will meet only one of the next two nights to practice, due to our traditional closing on December 18th." Shelby glanced down at the floor, thinking about December 18th, and Cass took over.

"Annnnd we have a special surprise for each of you," the little girl heard the one named Cassie tell the group. "We have been invited to perform three of our numbers for the children at the Children's hospital." She started a round of applause.

Sounds of excitement and claps echoed through the whole mansion.

_I wish I could go_, the young girl thought to herself, but she avoided places like that. Hospitals always had police and other people around that could report her as a runaway and send her to the Reverend or worse. The girl let her mind wander and thought of herself singing a solo at the hospital and making the littlest kids smile.

"Then we will go as a large group around the wing to carol down the halls," the one named Shelby told the group of kids downstairs. "So each of you grab a permission slip and have your parents sign it tonight and bring it back tomorrow evening."

After a sound of cheers erupted from the children, Shelby started a "show circle".

"_We are all shining stars_…" the children sang; some on alto, some tenor, some soprano. None of the children in this class were old enough to be a baritone or bass yet.

After which the children walked giddily out the doors of the mansion, whispering excited things to each other. A couple had stayed back to give Cassie and Shelby parting hugs, which the women accepted eagerly. How they'd wanted a child of their own, but they didn't dare bring it up to each other. Cassie feared that another child would remind Shelby too badly of the one she lost—she was still grieving—and Shelby worried that Cassandra wasn't ready for something as big as a child. They were still very young, after all, and had plenty of time to decide later on if they wanted one of their own for sure.

Since that was the final class, Cass stayed to clean the studio while Shelby went to prepare supper for the two of them. While boiling pasta noodles, she glanced up at the calendar on the wall above her. Taking her purple marker clipped to the side of it, she marked off another day and let out a long, slow breath. One more day until the 18th. She scolded herself for still feeling so horrible. She had told herself that this year would be different.

"Your little girl isn't dead," She told herself out loud, stirring the now boiling noodles while mixing some Alfredo sauce in a separate pot. "But for all you know, she could be. She should've been yours. She should've been yours. She should've been yours. She _was _yours. They took her away from you. You let them take her away. You were powerless. You were what you always were to them—you were nothing."

"Shelby," Cass whispered sadly, standing in the doorway. She had been listening silently to what the brunette had been chanting to herself, but now it was time to intervene. Slowly, she made her way to her wife and Shelby allowed herself to be held in Cassandra's arms.

"She was so small." Shelby whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek and onto Cassandra's shoulder. "She was so tiny. She was mine and I let them take her, my baby."

"Shh, sweetheart you didn't let them do anything, she was taken against your will."

"Nine years this year, Cassie. She hasn't been mine for nine years."

Cass kissed away a tear of Shelby's and held her, warmly. Tenderly. "She'll always be yours, Shelby. Always. That's something nobody can change. She is your daughter, whether you have her or not."

She hoped she wasn't pushing any boundaries, saying that. Sometimes it was hard to tell with Shelby.

But the brunette simply nodded, slowly, trying to agree. Wanting to agree.

"I know," she whispered. "I know."

But she didn't want to think about it anymore. She didn't want to talk about it. She just wanted Cassie to hold her. She wasn't very hungry anymore, either, but she knew Cass would tell her she needed to eat something.

"Let's just eat dinner," Shelby said softly.

"Okay," Cass nodded in agreement, checking the noodles and sauce and seeing that yes, they were done. She put some on a plate for Shelby and then for herself and together they ate at the dining room table, by candle light. (This was mostly out of laziness—Cassandra didn't feel like flicking the switch on the chandelier, and partly because she thought it romantic). As they ate, Cassandra watched Shelby carefully, thinking of her as someone so broken; a glass figure to tread carefully around.

Shelby didn't particularly love when Cassandra looked at her like that—with such pity, looking so helpless. She knew Cass felt helpless around this time of the year. So did Shelby. She knew that nothing anyone said would console her, and she knew that Cassandra loved her so dearly and all she wanted to do was help.

Cassandra was the single greatest and only comfort that Shelby had, and she was eternally grateful for that.

But nothing and no one could bring her baby girl back to her.

That was something she had lost hope about many years ago.

. . .

"Cassie," Shelby whispered, as they lay in bed later on in the evening. She was dressed in a black slip, Shelby was, and was cuddled underneath a comforter where Cassandra wore something quite similar; Cassandra's arm wrapped around her lovingly.

"Yes, dear?" Cassandra wondered.

"…do you think she's ever had a Christmas?" she knew she was going to regret asking about her little girl but perhaps talking about her would be good—maybe it could start a sense of some closure. "Like, a good Christmas…with lots of presents and cookies and candy canes?"

She turned so that she and Cassie's noses were touching; a position so intimate and precious to the two of them. Cassie smiled and Shelby could feel her lips against her cheek. "Perhaps," she contemplated. "I'm sure she's had many a wonderful Christmas, my love."

The little girl listened from the vent with a soft sigh. She only wished her Christmases had been as wonderful as the ones Cassandra and Shelby always talked about. Never in her life had she gotten a "present from Santa"—in fact, she hated whoever the man was for always skipping her come Christmas Eve. Most of the time, Christmas just meant singing hymns and praying all day and night.

The Reverend didn't believe in bringing her gifts or "visions of sugar plums" or any of what he called, "That money-making, sacrilegious nonsense."

She hoped, for Shelby's little girl's sake, that she'd gone through life getting fantastic gifts every year, and eating gingerbread and making hot cocoa and cookies. She hoped Santa never skipped Shelby's daughter.

The young girl petted Barbra and hummed softly to herself, wishing more than ever that she would at least make it in the mansion until Christmas. She wanted to see how Shelby and Cassie would celebrate it—how it was meant to be celebrated. She wished more than ever that one day, she could celebrate with them. She shook the thought out of her head. It wasn't meant to be, this she knew. She wasn't the daughter that Shelby was wanting for.

"Do you think her family treats her well?" Shelby asked.

"I'm sure she wants for nothing, Shelby."

Cassandra truly wasn't sure that saying all of this to Shelby was a wise thing—particularly given the fact that they had no idea where Shelby's daughter was or how she'd been treated in the foster system. But she knew that giving Shelby good images about how her daughter's life might have turned out might give her a bit of a better outlook on it. She knew that Shelby was not likely to see her daughter again. She hoped to god that the little girl was having a good life, for Shelby's sake, for the little girl's sake as well.

"Okay. Maybe you're right," Shelby gave Cassandra a soft kiss on the lips.

Cassandra smiled softly, kissing her back once, twice. "Maybe I am." She laughed lightly.

Shelby had to laugh lightly back and kiss her once more, wrapping her legs around the woman she loved. "Hold me, Cassie. Make the pain stop."

"I love you, Shelby." Cassie whispered into her neck, letting her lips rest against her. "I wish I could make it go away."

"Just hold me. Play with my hair. Kiss me."

Cassandra did so, thankful that it could help in some way, until the two of them fell asleep against each other, grateful for each other.

The young girl in the attic could not put her mind at rest, even though she was very sleepy.

Since she knew Shelby and Cassandra were asleep, she leaned towards the vent and sang very softly a song that she'd known ever since she could remember,

_Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,_

_The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head._

_The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,_

_The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay._

_The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,_

_But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes._

_I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky_

_And stay by my cradle 'til morning is nigh._

_Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay_

_Close by me forever, and love me, I pray._

_Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,_

_And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there._

In Shelby's sleep, she heard a voice so angelic and small and sweet. It was the same voice she had heard in the studio a night or so before. The one she couldn't place. And though she was asleep, she stirred, and when she did so she vowed to place the beautiful little voice somehow—to figure out who it was; or if it was just her mind playing tricks on her.


	7. Dreaming and Wishes

**So close to the reveal we can taste it!**

**We hope you won't be disappointed-we certainly weren't. We loved writing this today and hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed writing it.**

**Love always, Hayley**

**Chapter 7: Dreaming and Wishes**

The girl whimpered in her sleep, tossing and turning in the attic. Caught up in a dreamscape that was part memory and part now, the girl dreamed. In her mind, she reached her hands out for two pairs of hands, wanting them to save her. It was so dark and she was being pulled back as sirens blared in the background to take her away again.

"No, No, I don't want to go. Don't take me away," she told to the darkness, trying to pull her away from the loving arms that were outstretched towards her.

"Mommy! Mama! Mommy, Mama, Moooooooommmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyy!"

The girl sat up abruptly and pushed long, sweaty brown hair out of her face, looking around wildly. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest as the tears streamed down her cheeks. She hoped she had not cried out loud. The girl had learned not to do that a long time ago. Tears and sobbing only brought one thing: beatings.

An instinct that was even deeper than the girl understood propelled her out of her nest of pillows and blankets. Down from the attic, her little feet flew. Up the stairs, her little legs pumped. Down to her knees, she fell at the master bedroom door. She did not take time to think. She could still hear the sirens. She could feel the hands pulling her away, forever.

She crawled on her hands and knees, fell to her stomach and scooted under the bed.

The girl took a deep, shaky breath and tried to suppress sobs that were trying to erupt.

_It hurts so bad._

_Nobody wants me._

_Why hadn't God given me moms like Shelby and Cassie? _

Barbra crawled under the bed beside her. She could just pretend she was loved and that Cass and Shelby wanted her. She had not allowed herself to pretend since she was four years old, and the two men she lived with had beat her for playing house with her invisible "Mama".

The little girl was so tired of pretending. She wanted the real thing and she would do almost anything to get it. She scrambled out from under the bed and looked up at the two sleeping women. Shelby was sleeping with her head on Cassie's chest. Cassie held her protectively. The little girl wondered what it would be like to be held when she slept—to be comforted when she had a bad dream. She wanted to crawl up on this bed right now and snuggle in.

_Am I too old to pretend? Here in the dark, can I pretend?_ She asked herself, looking at the two women. Her decision was made when she heard Shelby talk in her sleep.

"Where's my baby?" the brunette said while she rested; her brow was furrowed. The little girl figured she must be having bad dreams tonight.

"I'm here, Mommy," the little girl answered, moving to the side of the bed and leaning over so she could whisper in the direction of Shelby's ear. "Don't be sad. I am right here. You love me, right Mommy? You want me?"

"Yes baby Mommy does." Shelby murmured aloud nuzzling closer in Cassie's breasts. Shelby sighed and drifted back off to an easier sleep. Cassie's warm hold must have relaxed her enough to not be so panicked.

"I want you, too," the little brunette murmured as she reached down to touch Shelby's soft brown hair. Before she went downstairs though, she wanted to speak to Cassie too.

"You going to hold me when I sleep too Mama?" the little brunette asked, reaching down and playing with the shiny blonde hair. "I want you, too."

The little girl reached down and put Barbara on the bed and backed out of the room. She had an idea. She really wanted Shelby and Cassie as her moms. This meant she had a letter to write.

. . .

The little girl sat down with a bowl of Shelby's pasta she heated in the microwave. It was still the middle of the night, so the girl felt it was safe to eat. After finishing, the girl made sure she put all the dishes in the dishwasher. She could not afford to get lazy and risk being found out. She did not think Cassie and Shelby would call the cops, but could not risk it. The little girl started opening drawers in the kitchen. She was looking for a pen and paper. She was about to think she would have to give up and try another room when she finally found a pencil, though she had not found any paper.

Taking a flashlight she found in one of the drawers, the girl started up the hall. She found a clipboard in the studio with a pad of paper that had funny lines on it. There were enough lines in between it though, she thought she could write a letter with it. The little girl had watched Cassie yesterday; she knew there was a box on the front door that the mailman came to and brought mail. If she got this done, maybe it could go out in tomorrow's mail.

She lay down on her stomach beside the oversized window in the studio, pencil in hand and the clipboard in front of her. It was a full moon and she could see pretty well with the flashlight and moon's lights working together. She was sure she was going to do this. She wanted Shelby and Cassie as her moms. It was technically her birthday today so maybe she could get her wish? Praying to God for years had not worked; so she was going to write Santa—he was her last hope.

She chewed on her pencil—she had never written to Santa before. It's not like he ever left anything for her. Nobody did. All Reverend gave her was a Gideon Bible of the New Testament and told her she was such a sinner that if there was a Santa she would be on the naughty list. But he was the bad one, not her. She had not wanted anything since she ran away. Until now. It was Christmas time. It was her birthday tomorrow. She might get lucky, just this once.

Here goes either something or nothing, she told herself. The girl picked up the pencil and started to write:

Dear Santa,

I know I have never written you before or visited you in the mall. I am not sure you know who I am. I moved around a lot so maybe you just could not keep up with where I was? I was with Reverend Andrews last but he hated you so I am sure you just did not want to come. I know you have to be good to get a Christmas present. All Reverend said was I was a sinner but I don't try to be bad. Since I ran away, I only take things when I am really hungry and I don't do anything to hurt anybody. Well, I wished it with my first home with my dads they took to jail and then I wished God would punish Reverend Andrews but I did not do it, honest!

Anyway Santa, I want you to know I am not bad like everyone says I am.

Can you really see me when I am sleeping like the song says?

If so, you know I think I finally found a good thing.

I don't want a toy. I know it would be sort of late to make me something or find it anyway.

I sort of found what I want to ask you for. If you could just use your Christmas magic?

I want Shelby and Cassie to be my moms. I want to live in this house I snuck into. I want Barbra to be my cat and I want to be their kid, forever. More than anything I just want someone to love me and want me.

I plan to stay here at this address till Christmas if I can manage it. You don't have to send me any other presents. I just want a mom or in this case two moms.

You don't have to come tell me yes. Just let them find me and tell them they want me and they will be my moms.

Sincerely,

Rachel

. . .

Shelby sat up in bed, staring straight ahead, her face pale. She felt...empty. Numb. She glanced over at her clock. It was one in the morning, December 18th. She wet her lips and tried not to cry—she grew so sick of crying—she had tried all of these years to stay so strong.

Glancing over at Cassie, she reached out for her wife's hand and took it, rubbing the back of it lightly with her thumb. Cassie was a much lighter sleeper than Shelby was, and the gesture woke her.

Stirring, Cass fluttered her eyes open and looked up at Shelby with concern. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Cass sat up and wordlessly wrapped Shelby in her embrace. Shelby's legs intertwined with Cassie's and she let herself be held. She didn't cry anymore—her face was raw from tears already and it seemed as if she was all cried out.

Cass drew light patterns on different parts of Shelby to calm her—her arms, her legs, and the small of her back. Shelby took a slow deep breath and sighed, hugging Cassie tightly.

"I don't have her anymore," her voice broke as she whispered. "She's gone. She's been gone for 9 years."

Cassandra usually always knew how to respond to her, but she knew that Shelby didn't want to hear words of comfort right now, she just wanted to be held. So that's what she did. She just held her.

After about thirty minutes of just holding each other, Cassie's ears perked up. She thought she heard a noise downstairs, but she didn't hear it again, so she just let it be.

She whispered into Shelby's ear, "Are you alright, sweetheart?" she asked.

"I'm thirsty," Shelby whispered, ignoring the questioning of being okay.

Cass rubbed Shelby's shoulders. "Let's go get some water." she whispered. "We can go start a fire and warm up downstairs, okay?"

Shelby nodded and Cass picked her up, cradling her in her arms as she walked down the stairs. She lay Shelby down on the couch and Shelby closed her eyes, feeling a strong migraine coming on.

Cass went into the kitchen—didn't even glance at the studio, where Rachel was finishing her letter. The little girl stiffened—she hadn't even heard Cass or Shelby come down the stairs but now she had to somehow manage to get back up into the attic without them noticing her. Her little heart started beating rapidly as she tried to formulate a plan in her mind.

_What if they see me?_ She freaked out. _Maybe I'm not ready for that. Maybe THEY aren't ready for that! This is a day where Shelby is sad, thinking about her REAL daughter. What was I thinking?!_ She panicked. _They're gonna send me back to the Reverend!_

Slowly, she peaked out from behind the corner of the wall and saw that Shelby had her eyes closed and was lying on the couch, her hands over her forehead. The sound of water running in the sink told Rachel she could sneak down the hallway and speed up the stairs without Cassie noticing.

She passed the living room quickly, and Shelby was opening her eyes just as Rachel was passing the doorway.

The older brunette rubbed her eyes and caught a glimpse of the little girl running. She rubbed her eyes harder. She didn't know what she had just seen, but it made her heart race quicken. That little girl looked like...like the girl from her dreams. Like what she imagined her little girl would look like.

She was so tired, and she was so upset, this she knew. She didn't have a sound enough mind to tell her that seeing little girls running around that house was not normal.

_Great._ She sighed and lay her head back down. _I'm hallucinating now. I've officially gone crazy..._

Cassie returned to the living room with a glass of wine for each of them and a glass of water for Shelby. Shelby sat up, her eyes wide and frantic, searching Cassie's face, looking straight through her and trying to figure out if what she saw was real or not.

"Cassie..." she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears she didn't know she was possible of shedding anymore. "I think...I think I'm going insane."

"Baby," Cass held her close. "You're not going insane. You're tired. You're ill. You're in mourning, and that's okay. You've been through some very hard things..."

"I just saw her. I just saw her. In our house. Running past that doorframe. She's here, Cassie."

Cassandra searched Shelby's eyes for any trace of storytelling. Because what Shelby had just said to her was terrifying. She had considered, in the past, trying to get Shelby to go see a therapist. It had seemed like if she wasn't moving past this, a professional could do her well. And now that Shelby was actually SEEING her little girl running around the house...maybe professional help was what she needed.

She watched her wife, who looked frantic and distressed. Her brunette hair sticking to parts of her face due to a nervous sweat she had broken out into. Cass tried her very best to come up with a different solution besides making Shelby get help, (because, knowing Shelby, she'd sit through hours of therapy without saying a word anyways). Just because Shelby was seeing little girls, did not make her crazy. She was completely exhausted—maybe she'd been dreaming.

"Cassie...will you go see for me? Please. I'm...I'm so worried I'm going mad...I just don't know what to do, and I-"

"Shh, shh, sweetheart," Cass gave her a soft kiss to silence her, caressing the side of her face. "I'll go see, okay? I'll be right back."

She started walking towards the attic stairs. The young girl panicked, hearing Cassie's footsteps, and tried to rush up the stairs. She had almost made it to the top before she tripped, catching herself on her knees, hard. She let out a little cry of pain against her will and spun around to see Cassandra, her jaw dropped, and her eyes wide.

"Holy sweet hell." she whispered, fear and confusion clearly plastered across her face. She tried to yell for Shelby but no sound came out. Shelby was right! There WAS a little girl in the mansion. She was right in front of Cassie, staring with wide, scared, brown eyes, brushing off her knees from her fall and standing, shyly.

Rachel's mind raced with questions. _Do I turn and run? Do I stay put and wait for Shelby to see me? Do I-_

"Shelby." Cass finally managed to get the sound out of her throat. "Shelby! Get in here."

Shelby followed Cassandra's voice and her eyes widened when she saw the little girl at the top of the stairs. "I-Cass-do you see her, too?"

Cassandra slowly nodded her head and took Shelby's hand tightly.

Rachel, meanwhile, looked from Shelby to Cassie, Shelby to Cassie. She was at a loss for what to do. She had just written a letter asking to be discovered and kept by the two women she'd been secretly housing with. However, she hadn't expected the reveal to be so soon, and she wasn't sure what to expect. The women just stared at her; Shelby with tears in her eyes and Cassie with deep concern in hers. They seemed just as stuck as Rachel did.

Finally, Rachel straightened up. It's now or never, she thought to herself. Christmas came early. This is what I asked for, and this is what I'll get.

"H-Hi." She stammered, taking a step down. She wanted to seem likable so they didn't call the police. She wanted them to love her so they didn't send her back to the Reverend.

"I'm Rachel." she said softly. "Rachel Berry."


	8. The Reveal

**We don't own the lyrics to Hushabye Mountain or Erev Shel Shoshanim.**

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**Tell us what you think of this chapter!**

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley**

**Chapter 8: The Reveal**

Her confidence to put her best foot forward waned when Cassie took a step in her direction. In spite of her desire to make a good impression, Rachel found herself taking a step backwards. Cassie scared her more than Shelby did. Cassie had a more serious disposition; even though she joked around a lot, it was more dark sarcasm than it was light humor.

When Shelby took a step towards Cassie, Rachel took another step backwards. Neither of the women were speaking—neither of them knew exactly what they wanted to say.

Rachel had been stared at plenty of times by an adult when they just looked at her without speaking; it usually meant she was going to get a beating. If an adult yelled, it usually meant she was only going to get hit. Rachel watched very carefully so she could know how she should react. She doubted they were going to beat her, but she was still scared—she'd never been in this situation before…ever. She still clutched the clipboard with Santa's letter to her chest possessively.

_Santa, did you do this or did I just mess things up for myself_? Rachel asked herself, watching both women's hands. It was always important to watch an adults hands.

_Run, Hide, or curl up?_ Rachel wondered in her head, trying to get control of herself. They were still just watching her—Shelby's eyes brimming with confused tears and Cassandra looking very cautious, unsure what her next move was going to be.

_It had been going so well. Reverend Andrews always told me I was a screw up bastard child, _Rachel continued to have this quick mental conversation. She felt herself panicking when the blonde named Cassie raised her hand her direction.

Rachel ended up doing all three things she had contemplated.

The clipboard landed on the stairs with a bang as she ran up the rest of the attic staircase. She crawled behind some boxes in the corner and she curled into herself, making herself as small as possible. Rachel had no idea at all what was going to happen next.

Shelby looked at Cassie, her eyes huge and wide.

"Who is that little girl?" she asked Cassie, her voice breaking and full of a deep regret—a concern. What were the odds that it was December 18th and she was seeing a little girl who even looked like she COULD be her daughter? Not only was she seeing her, but she was really there—it wasn't a hallucination like she thought it had been. She wasn't sure how to react or what to do in the slightest. She felt so fragile. She needed Cassie to answer.

However, Cassie hadn't the slimmest clue who the little girl was. She noticed the girl looked at lot like a little Shelby, that she was shivering, and clearly very scared. She wondered how long the little girl had been in the mansion, and suddenly her little ghost friend theory made a lot more sense. And she felt bad that she let Shelby yell at Barbra for making messes. And for giving Shelby a hard time for using her hairbrush.

She shook all of these thoughts out of her head. She knew they needed to go after the little girl—sit down and talk to her. Ask her who she was, what she was doing in their house, where her parents were...

Her eyes scanned Shelby's face, feeling sorry. Shelby was in no position to talk to a little girl right now. She was thinking about the little girl she could've had. The one that was stolen from her. And with this little—did she say her name was Rachel?—looking so much like Shelby, she wasn't sure how Shelby was going to respond to this.

Perhaps it would be good for her, Cassandra decided, not releasing her tight hold on Shelby's hand.

"Sweetheart, we need to go talk to her." Cassandra told her, softly.

Nodding her head slowly, Shelby walked with her, following the direction where little Rachel had run.

_Small, Small,_ Rachel thought to herself.

_Too much, too much_, she thought some more.

She pushed herself further into the darkness behind the boxes. They had picked up the clipboard. One of them was reading aloud what she wrote.

She could not listen. She could not bear to listen. So she opened her mouth and started to sing.

Cassie had almost finished saying "Sincerely, Rachel." when she froze, hearing a small, soft soprano sing,

_"So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,_

_Wave goodbye to cares of the day,_

_And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain,_

_Sail far away from Lullaby Bay"_

Shelby's eyes widened in recognition. "That's it." she whispered in awe. "That's the voice of the little girl, the one I've been hearing. It's real! She wasn't just in my head..."

Cassie squeezed her hand tighter. All of the puzzle pieces were starting to fit now. She looked up with pity in her eyes. This little girl was feeling so lonely-she must be so scared. She wanted her and Shelby to be her mother's...

"I have to know if she is real," Rachel heard a voice down below say. "We both could be dreaming. A shared moment of insanity even. Cass, I need to know she is real. I need to touch her. She might be a ghost and she is so scared."

So Rachel sang louder. This was either a nightmare or a dream come true.

Slowly, Shelby inched towards the sound of the voice. In seconds she saw her—a better look this time. Imploring, dazzling brown eyes gazed, frightened, at the older woman. Her hair was long and straight and brown—much like Shelby's. She was curled into a ball with her hands over her ears, singing the song that Shelby had been teaching the Kindermusic class not all that many days before.

Shelby smiled softly at the little girl, a tear sliding down her cheek as she thought about her own daughter, who would be about this girl's age, today.

"Hello," Shelby's voice was warm and shaky as she crouched down and held her hand out for Rachel to take. The little girl stopped singing as she watched Shelby carefully. "My name is Shelby."

After a moment of silence, Rachel responded, "I know." she just looked at the extended hand and stared at it. She had no idea what to do. Shelby leaned forward. Rachel leaned back and swallowed hard. She had no idea what Shelby wanted her to do now that she extended her hand.

"You can take it, sweetheart," Shelby spoke softly. "It's okay." Her promise seemed sincere enough, and Rachel knew from watching Shelby that the odds of her hurting Rachel at all were slim, but she was still cautious—hesitant—when she finally took the older woman's hand.

Rachel had never held anybody's hand before except in the prayer line when Reverend prayed. Those hands were usually old frail people. Shelby's hand was warm, soft and she hand long fingers. One of the fingers had a wedding band on it. The ring felt funny against her skin. She knew her skin was clammy and her hand was shaking. She knew now that Shelby could tell that, too.

When Shelby pulled on her hand as if to move her from behind the box, Rachel resisted. She had no idea where this woman would take her or what she would do with her. Rachel looked for clues by looking at the blonde who now sat beside Shelby.

Cass was crouched down with Shelby and she smiled softly at Rachel. "Your voice is so beautiful," she said quietly, so as not to scare her. She was trying to get Rachel into a conversation so that she would trust them enough to stand and go with them. "Where did you learn to sing like that?"

Rachel shrugged, still shaking, gripping Shelby's hand tightly. She saw that Cassie still had a hold of her other hand.

"We're not going to make you go anywhere, Rachel," Shelby seemed to read the little girl's mind. "We just want to go downstairs, so we can warm up by the fire, and talk to you." she was surprised that she was talking herself and not making Cassie do all of the speaking. She was having a hard enough time as it was just breathing properly.

"Why?" Rachel asked simply, not looking at either of their faces. How was she to know that these woman were not going to call the cops as soon as they got downstairs? Rachel felt herself panicking again. She wanted, she needed these women to level with her. She was not going anywhere. "Talk here," she mumbled under her breath. She did not look at Cassie. The woman made her a little more nervous than Shelby did. Rachel had heard how Cassie talked to her students. But then she noticed Barbra. Barbra was rubbing up against Cassie, purring and wanting the blonde's attention. If Barbra was not scared of her, maybe she should not be either.

She wanted to ask if they were going to call the cops but did want to give them any ideas.

Cassie seemed to read the little girl's mind as well as Shelby had. "We're not going to call anyone, Rachel." she promised. However she wasn't as easy to believe as Shelby was. Cassie was much harder to read. Rachel turned her gaze to Shelby for confirmation.

"We promise." Shelby told her. "How long have you been here?" she wondered.

Rachel shrugged once more. "A few days..." she muttered.

"Rachel, honey, you are safe. I am not going to hurt you and neither is Cassie," Shelby said in the softest of voices, trying to keep it soft and soothing. "This is Cassie, my wife." She wasn't sure if Rachel knew that much, even if she had been there for a few days. She and Cassie both realized, with this new discovery, that they needed to be gentle—kind, caring, and understanding. Most of all, they needed to be patient and loving.

"Hi Rachel, I love your outfit. It looks vaguely familiar," Cassie spoke softly trying to use some lightheartedness to break the tension. Now that they were all sitting, Cassie had time to notice where her shorts had disappeared to. Shelby's "I love New York" T Shirt as well. The shirt almost looked like a dress on the little girl and her shorts a pair of pants. The little brunette was so small, so skinny, and so…fragile.

Rachel swallowed and looked down, embarrassed that she had been caught with their clothes. She didn't want to seem like a thief and she didn't want them to be afraid of her taking things or getting in the way—if they feared that, they'd send her back. They didn't know her, after all.

Listening to Cassie and noticing now her shirt on the little girl, Shelby looked closer at Rachel's appearance. She was barefoot. Her feet most be freezing. She wanted to go get the little girl a pair of socks but she dare not leave the attic.

"I just was borrowing them until my clothes dried. I am not a thief. All I did was eat your food when you were done with it," Rachel tried to defend herself.

"Hey, Hey, relax Rachel. Its fine sweetheart. You can keep them honey. And I like Shelby's cooking too," Cassie used the same type of voice tone she had used with Shelby the last few days. "I was just trying to lighten the mood a little. You don't have to be afraid of Shelby and I. Cross my heart," Cassie tried to engage the little girl, making a point the cross her heart with her index finger then bending down trying to catch Rachel's eye.

"And why should I trust that promise?" Rachel said looking up with now expressionless brown eyes. "How do I know you have not already called somebody? I am not going back. I won't." Rachel said with angry conviction. "You can't make me. You can't make me do anything."

Scared and suddenly defensive, realizing how serious things were and that her odds were very slim that they were going to keep her, Rachel tried to wrench her hand away from Shelby's; but the older brunette was stronger than she was. She looked over at Cassie. Barbra was on her lap purring.

"Are you and Barbra friends Rachel," Cassie asked softly, not addressing Rachel's question. "Barbra is usually a pretty judge of character. I noticed she had been sitting on the attic steps a little more than usual the last couple of days."

The little girl nodded feverishly. "She's my only friend in the whole world," hot, angry, scared tears started to fill her eyes. "Please don't take her away from me."

Shelby and Cassie's hearts broke watching how terrified the young girl seemed. "Honey, honey..." Shelby cooed. "We're not going to take her away." getting an idea to calm the little girl down again, she whispered, "Do you want to sing again? I'll sing with you, okay? And then maybe will you trust me?"

Rachel started to nod very slowly and Shelby opened her mouth to sing very softly.

But Rachel did not start singing, she listened and watched Cassie. Would she sing too?

Shelby sang the first verse softly,

"_A gentle breeze on Hushabye Mountain,_

_Softly blows o'er lullaby bay,_

_And fills the sails of boats that are waiting, _

_Waiting to sail your worries away."_

Cass actually sang the next verse, harmonizing so gorgeously with Shelby that Rachel nearly cried anyways, from the beauty of it. Their voices were so comforting—they felt like home. Rachel wasn't exactly sure what "home" felt like, but she imagined that if it felt like anything, their comfort was it.

_"It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain,_

_And your boat waits down by the quay,_

_The winds of night so softly are sighing,_

_Soon they will sail your troubles to sea."_

Cass smiled softly at Rachel and whispered, "Sing with us, young one. It's okay."

Rachel started a third harmony (something she didn't know she could do—surprising Shelby and Cassandra as well) as they all sang the final verse,

_"So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,_

_Wave goodbye to cares of the day,_

_And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain,_

_Sail far away from lullaby bay."_

"Would you sing to me tonight?" Rachel asked when they finished and the attic grew silent except for Barbra's purring in Cassie's lap. "Nobody has ever sung to me before," Rachel asked the two women her eyes now meeting theirs.

"Come downstairs, Rachel," Cassie pleaded softly. "And we'll sing you to sleep."

The young little girl had already captured the heart of the blonde (something that often proved difficult to do) and she figured they could go over the more serious details of the situation later—it didn't have to be right away. Little Rachel hadn't seriously injured anyone or really stolen anything yet and she doubted she would—the girl was just too scared.

Timidly, Rachel nodded her head slightly and allowed Shelby to pull her into a standing position.

"I don't want to sleep by myself. I am so tired of being by myself," Rachel admitted tears hanging on her dark eyelashes. "Don't make me go. Please don't make me go."

"Sweetheart, please, no tears," Shelby whispered at a beg. "If you are sad then I will be sad." she placed a hand over her heart. "Being sad…it doesn't feel good, honey. This I know. It'll be okay. We haven't called anyone—no one is going to take you away." _Tonight_, Rachel thought to herself, slightly bitterly, with the feeling that Shelby would be sad no matter what, but she didn't argue. "We aren't going to make you go anywhere. We're going to stay right downstairs with you, okay?"

Rachel surprised Cassie. She reached for the blonde's hand too.

Rachel had some observations as she let herself be led by the two women. Cassie's hands were similar but different from Shelby's. They were soft but her fingers seemed really _really_ strong; like she could break a pencil with her fingers strong. They also had calluses like she worked really hard.

Cass smiled and laughed lightly to herself as she could feel Rachel studying her hands with her own. She glanced over at Shelby to see how her sweetheart was doing. She still looked sad, but slightly less sad. A little more...hopeful.

Though Cassie knew that they couldn't get attached.

But it was too late. Shelby's eyes mirrored her own.

Cassie would fight tooth and nail for this kid. Instinctively, she knew life had given this girl a raw deal. She was a scraper and a fighter, and Cassie liked that. She looked at her wife, and saw her pained expression. Shelby was feeling the girl's pain on top of her own, and Cassie had no doubt about her wife's personality. She would do her damndest to make the girl's Santa letter come true if the girl's story checked out.

Rachel was scared to go with them but knew that it was her only option now. She tried her hardest to trust even though it was something she wasn't very good at after years of being thrown under the bus.

But she had asked for this right? She had asked Santa for Shelby and Rachel to find her.

"You promised me you would sing. You both did. Where are we going?" Rachel asked them as they entered the kitchen. Her eyes widened in concern. In the kitchen was the home phone. The home phone they could use to call the police. Or worse, the Reverend. Even though Rachel was being slightly ridiculous—Shelby and Cassie knew virtually nothing about her, least of all who The Reverend was to her—but she was frightened all the same.

"Aren't you hungry, sweetheart?" Cassie wondered. "Have you eaten all day?

"I had Shelby's pasta in the microwave after I left your room," Rachel told them honestly. She soaked up the soft words and caring like a sponge.

"...when were you in our room, honey?" Shelby wondered if having Rachel in there correlated with her dreams.

"Before I started my letter and you and I talked. I didn't like that you were so sad," Rachel told Shelby.

Shelby and Cassie thought that was just about the sweetest thing they had ever heard in their lives, and that was coming from two women who worked with children every single day. "Oh..." Shelby was at a loss for words. Maybe Rachel was the girl she'd been dreaming about, and not her little girl after all.

"You have a really big bed. Do you know that?" Rachel told the two women, yawning.

This made the women laugh. "Yes, we do," Cassie smiled at the little girl who was more and more adorable every second.

She knew she wasn't being very rational, allowing this young girl to stay in her house, not alerting police or checking missing person's reports, but she couldn't help herself. And it was so very late at night, after all...

"Are you going to sing now? I don't want to be alone. You are not going to make me sleep alone on the couch are you?" Rachel asked, yawning again rubbing her eyes. "You need to clean out from under your bed though. There is some piano music under there," Rachel told them letting them lead her wherever they wished. She was feeling very vulnerable which made her a bit more talkative than she was to begin with. Them being so comforting made her open up a little more as well, but not about anything serious. Like what she was doing in the mansion.

Rachel pulled on Shelby's arm, getting her to bend her head so she could whisper, "Please stay with me?"

That did it for Shelby. Her heart officially, now and forever, belonged to that little girl. "We will stay with you, honey." she promised. Thankfully the couch was large enough for the three of them. Cassie scooted to the back, being the least claustrophobic of the three of them, with Shelby pressed up against her, who cradled Rachel in the front.

At first Rachel had been hesitant to even let Shelby or Cassie touch her, but lying on the couch in Shelby's warm and motherly embrace just felt...natural. She felt the safest she had ever felt.

Shelby started a Hebrew Lullaby, whisper-singing softly,

"_Erev shel shoshanim_

_Nitzeh na el habustan_

_Mor besamim ulevona_

_Leraglech miftan."_

Cass harmonized with her on the chorus, recognizing the words and tune from something they used to sing to the little kids all the time.

"_Layla yored le'at_

_Veru'ach shoshan noshvah_

_Havah elchash lach shir balat_

_Zemer shel ahava_

_Shachar homa yonah_

_Roshech maleh t'lalim_

_Pich el haboker shoshana_

_Ektefenu li."_

Their voices were so beautiful-the voices of angels harmonizing together to form the most gorgeous song Rachel had ever heard. She was lulled to sleep by the kind nature to them; by their willingness to so easily show love to her, even though she was positive she didn't deserve it.

Her sleep was dreamless-finally, peaceful.

Shelby and Cassie could not say the same. They dreamt, both of them, of a little daughter. Shelby couldn't tell who would be her daughter and who was Rachel Berry, but they seemed to intertwine in her thoughts. For the first time in 9 years, on December 18th, Shelby did not have a nightmare.

Instead, she had hope.


	9. December 18th Pt 1

**A SUPER long chapter to make up for the long wait. This came out to 24 pages long. **

**Trigger warning: talk of abuse, scars, and sexual harassment.**

**We suggest that you listen to the songs we use if you've never heard them (we don't own any of them; not Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or Erev Shel Shoshanim, or Not While I'm Around).**

**Erev Shel Shoshanim is a Hebrew Lullaby I'm actually singing in my choir concert Saturday and it's a very beautiful song. Listening to them will just help set the mood for the chapter. **

**We thank you for your patience and tell us what you think about this chapter!**

**With love, keeperofwords and Hayley**

**Chapter 10: December 18****th****, Pt. 1**

Shelby Corcoran felt herself on the edge of wakefulness, feeling something was different.

She could feel her wife, Cass, spooned behind her with one of the blonde's hands resting lovingly on her hip. But someone was pressed into her front. Shelby woke up further when that person stirred, turning over and pressing their face into the place where Shelby's shoulder met her neck. Something was tickling her…or should she say someone?

"Cass, quit. Sleep." she mumbled drowsily, blinking open her eyes. She looked down to see the innocent face of the child from the attic burrowed into her front. An arm firmly grasping her slip as if holding her, firmly planted there so as to keep her from escaping. She smiled in spite of herself and despite it was her day of mourning.

"Hmmmphf," Cassandra murmured into Shelby's brown hair, opening her eyes blearily as her brain realized that her lover was talking to her. "What's that, honey?" Cass asked, a little more awake now. The blonde smiled in spite of herself as she craned her head over to look over and down, trying to see Shelby's face. An almost miniature version of her wife had her face now tucked into Shelby's chest. Some of the mini version of Shelby's extremely long hair was tickling Shelby's nose.

_Holy Hell, it's sort of uncanny how alike those two look_, Cassie thought to herself. The little girl held a fist of Shelby's silk slip while Shelby kept an arm around the small girl's back.

"Sleep now, tickles later, okay?" Shelby mumbled teetering on the edge of either being awake or going back to sleep, thinking her wife wanted to have some intimacy before they got up to start the day. Though she was half awake and seen Rachel, she had forgotten the little girl was there. Her exhaustion was jumbling her mind.

"I'm not being frisky at six in the morning, that's the kiddo who is snuggled in tight in my favorite spot against your chest. Not that I don't appreciate the view from your rear…" Cassie spoke, yawning and moving the brunette's hair aside so she could kiss Shelby's neck and trail kisses to her ear. "Morning Baby, I love you," Cassie whispered intimately.

"Hmm? Cass, what are we doing down..?" Shelby asked, opening her eyes in the early light of dawn. "Oh? Oh, my." When Shelby tried to move, she was only grasped onto tighter by the girl who was lightly stirring.

Rachel did not want to open her eyes. She decided she wanted to sleep forever if things could be like this. Her cheek lay pressed on what she realized was Shelby. Her skin was warm and she could hear the woman's heartbeat in her ear. Rachel could hear the women talking to each other, but Shelby's comforting embrace and heartbeat was lulling her back to sleep. She felt a hand petting her hair that lingered a minute or two to thread through the straight, chocolate locks. Rachel had the presence of mind to realize it had to be Cassie doing that, because Shelby had both of her hands around her back.

_Yep, I definitely don't ever want to wake up,_ Rachel decided, letting herself slip back to sleep. Rachel made sure she grabbed harder on the silk slip she was resting against. She did not want her pillow to move.

"Go back to sleep, little one," Cassie murmured down in Rachel's direction, then turned her mouth to Shelby's delicate ear. She lingered there, teasing it with her tongue. "The kids got long enough hair that she could easily donate it to "Locks of Love" and still have hair as long as ours. I got it out of your face so I could shower you with kisses…"

"I thought you said to go back to sleep…" Shelby's voice now sounded very much awake. "Little hard to do when you are doing what you doing with your mouth. Oh gods, Cass, if you don't stop Rachel is going to wake up to a show that I am not prepared to show young innocent eyes…"

"Funny. I was talking to the kid when I said to go back to sleep, Shelbs," Cassie said bluntly then added, "But you have a point there. I don't see kiddo letting go of your chest pillow, which I wanted to be the next target of lips. Any time we can, unless we move her?" Cassie asked knowing already Shelby would shut her down, still Cassie loved the banter.

"No Ms. July. You will get your turn. You know my body is yours to worship, but let the poor girl sleep," Shelby whispered, pushing her backside more firmly into Cassie's front. "Now Behave."

"Back at you Shelbs. Heart, soul and body. And fine, fine, I will behave. For now." Cassie whispered reaching down to plant a soft kiss on her wife's forehead, letting her lips linger for a moment. She'd wanted to distract Shelby from realizing what day it was.

Barbra heard her mistresses talking and took off down the hall to the den/ parlor area. She knew voices this time of morning meant breakfast was coming and the Siamese was ready to eat. The agile cat made a quick hop to the back of the couch and stared down at Cassie. The cat reached her front paws down, putting them on Cassie's bare shoulder and letting out a pitiful long yowl.

"Barbra, you are a diva if there ever was one," Cassie spoke gently to her cat who had decided to reach over and lick Cassie's chin to coax her to get up. The cat was no dummy. If Cassie got up and fed her, she would get treats in addition to breakfast. If Shelby fed her it would be kibble only and no cat treats till later in the day.

"That is because you spoil her rotten," Shelby commented, reaching for Cassie's hand and squeezing it.

"Shelbs, Barbra is right. We need to move. Barbra won't let up till she gets food and I need to go to the bathroom," Cassie deadpanned, looking at Rachel, who was still dead to the world. "And I may be a damn good dancer and limber as they come but I don't want to try to climb over you two."

"Cassie, she would have been nine today," Shelby felt her eyes watering as she looked down at Rachel who was snuggled into the older brunette as close as humanly possible. She was just realizing what day it was. Why they hadn't gotten up earlier and opened the studio. Who the little girl clutching her reminded her of. "And I look down at this little girl and can't help but think she would look like her."

"I know this will be hard day for you, Baby, but you have a little girl right here and now that needs and wants you. Honor your daughter today by working with me to help this little girl who wrote a letter to Santa," Cassie implored her, with eyes of tenderness.

Barbra took great offense that she was being ignored. At this point she did not care if it was Cassie or Shelby, but she was hungry. The feline diva stepped down fully on Cassie's body and yowled loudly licking Cassie's chin.

"Alright, alright, Barbra!" Cassie laughed and picked her cat up, holding her up in the air. "Jesus…Shelby we have to get up."

Shelby laughed lightly and whispered, "Okay. We'll wake her." Softly, she shook the little girl who was clinging so tightly to her. "Rachel, sweetheart, we have to get up now." She whispered, placing a sweet, comforting kiss to the top of the little girl's head.

Rachel stirred and whimpered softly, clinging tighter to Shelby.

"No…my dream," Rachel whimpered into Shelby's chest. "No, not going to wake..." the rest of Rachel's words ended abruptly as the little girl threw her arms around Shelby's neck. The little girl felt herself being picked up, so she wrapped her legs around the woman holding her.

They could move her but she was not going to wake up and she was not going to let go of Shelby.

Cassie laughed lightly as they all stood up. "Hope you don't have to go to the bathroom," she joked to her wife and motioned towards Rachel clinging so tightly to the front of Shelby's body. "I don't see her letting go."

The little girl rested her head against Shelby's shoulder, and whimpered again. "Don't wake me up. So pretty. Don't start the day. Go back to sleep. Make this all true." She said into Shelby's neck. Shelby held the girl tightly, not wanting to let go and upset her.

"Shhh baby, I got you," Shelby told the little girl, "not all good dreams end when you open your eyes."

Shelby's heart caught in her throat when she realized she had called Rachel baby. By this time though, she had said it and could not take it back, nor would she want to. Rachel still kept her eyes closed, though. Cassie came out of the bathroom to see her wife's imploring eyes for help.

Shelby really did have to go to the bathroom. She whispered to Rachel, "Sweetie, can Cassie take you while I go to the bathroom?" she asked very nicely, hoping to god the little girl would allow it.

The young girl whined but let Cassie take her without a fight. She cuddled Cassie like she had cuddled Shelby, almost gripping her just as tightly

"Ok kid, why don't you come help me with Barbra?" Cassie told Rachel, secretly pleased the girl had cuddled into her as close as she had done with her wife. The pair walked into the kitchen with the cat rubbing against the dancer's legs the whole time. Rachel felt Cassie move to put her down on the counter so she just wrapped her legs around the dancer tighter. She expected to be yelled at but Cassie merely cleared her throat and started to hum. Both of these women really liked music. Rachel did too. What Rachel wanted to say but didn't, was being put down meant she might be sent away. She wanted to make the moment last as long as possible.

Cassie had no idea where her patience was coming from. She had a cat demanding food and a little girl being just as demanding. It was a challenge to open a can of cat food with a kid in your arms, but she finally did so, though it wasn't soon enough for the Siamese. Barbra finally saw her opportunity for the meal to be served. When Cassie lay the open cat food can on the counter to bend down and get the cat bowl one handed, Barbara jumped onto the counter and started eating from the can.

Rachel could not help herself. She started to giggle into Cassie's neck.

"Shelby won't like that. Barbara is getting cat food on the counter," Rachel whispered still holding Cassie tight.

Cass turned her head sharply to see that, yes, the little girl was right. Usually, she would've had some sort of stress filled panic attack by now, but she was surprisingly calm as she let out a long, slow breath and laughed lightly at the little girl. "You're right, Shelby won't like that." Cass whispered back to her. "But how do you know that?"

"Shelby likes things to be clean." Rachel giggled. "She cleans all the time. That's why I made it messy when she was sad so she would clean and be happy."

Cassie's eyes widened in recognition and she started laughing, switching Rachel to the other side of her because her arm was falling asleep. "That was you?"

Rachel nodded her head into Cassie's shoulder but didn't lift it. "Did it work? Did it make her not sad?"

Cass laughed again. "Yes, sweetheart. It made her a little not sad."

"Then we need to let Barbra eat her whole breakfast up there," Rachel told the blonde honestly, not letting go of Cassie when she was hitched on Cassie's hips. She relaxed her hold on Cassie's neck because she realized she was not going to be put down right away. Rachel smiled, watching the bathroom door, waiting for Shelby to return.

"Cassie, we can make some more messes real quick so Shelbs is not sad," Rachel decided, lifting her head to stare at the blonde with her brown eyes.

Cass smiled sadly at Rachel. "Honey, Shelby's in a really scary and upsetting place in her head today. That's why we closed the dance studio. We can distract her and make her busy, but then she'll just be busy _and_ sad...and she'll have more time to think which will make her sadder. But it's really sweet of you to try to make her not sad..."

"I don't understand. Does that mean we are not going to make any more messes?" Rachel asked frowning. "Does that mean you are going to make Barbra get off the counter? She has put some real nice paw prints on it for Shelby to clean."

Rachel really did not understand, but she found herself getting nervous again. Shelby had been in the bathroom a long time. What if she had a phone in there and was calling the police?

"She is in there calling the police isn't she?" Rachel whispered tucking her head completely in Cassie's neck. "That's why it's taking so long. And I am making her sadder."

"No sweetheart of course not. She does this every December 18th." she wasn't sure how to get Rachel to believe her...she really didn't want the little girl to be so sad and anxious. She couldn't handle a house full of sad. "She goes into the bathroom and takes a hot shower." she neglected to add that it was usually so she could start the day out by trying to get all of her tears out of the way without Cassie noticing-Cass never told Shelby that she knew what Shelby was doing while she was behind a curtain and a closed door. She didn't want to make things worse.

"Then she makes breakfast and starts the day. She has this whole schedule she sticks to, or else she freaks out even more...it's a psychological thing, honey."

"No, she is on the phone, the water is running so I can't hear it," Rachel decided, looking up at the attic stairs trying to decide what to do. "You want me out of here. Well, I am not waiting for the cops and I am not going to let them give me back to the Reverend." Rachel started to squirm in Cassie's arms. When she was not released, she started to cry. She regretted ever letting herself be discovered. She was mad at herself for going downstairs to write a letter to Santa. She'd had it good in the attic and now they were going to send her back. "Can't I just go back up to the attic? She does not have to see me. You can forget I'm here. I don't make much noise and you won't eat your food or mess up your house anymore."

Rachel found herself panicking when Shelby appeared at the door. It was two against one now.

"I knew I should have never woke up. Why did you make me wake up? I don't want to go. Just let me go back to my attic. There is no such things as good dreams. Only nightmares." Rachel continued to speak as quick wet tears streamed down her face. She continued to squirm, "Let me go!"

Cassie held tight to Rachel, which was proving hard to do since the girl was kicking and crying now. The blonde widened her eyes at Shelby and mouthed the word "help".

"Rachel, honey," Shelby tried to speak over Rachel's cries. "Please, please calm down. We just want to help you and we can't do that if you freak out every time one of us leaves...we aren't calling anybody. I just got out of the shower. You see? My hair is still wet."

She tried to get the little girl to look at her hair. Rachel turned her head just long enough to see that yes, Shelby's hair was wet, but what if that was just to try to prove she had taken a shower when really she'd called somebody?

"No, you don't want me—you don't want a little girl like me, but don't make me go back, please! I know you don't want a little girl like me-"

Cassandra's eyes widened even bigger and she glanced over at her wife, unsure how Rachel's comment would affect her. She knew Rachel didn't mean it—that Rachel didn't know the whole story and that she was very scared and young. Shelby's breath caught and her eyes started to brim with teas that she tried to ignore.

"Rachel," her voice cracked slightly. "I do want you here. I do want a little girl. Believe me. But you have to work with us, not against us, okay? You can't-" her voice caught again and she swallowed shakily. "You can't run from your problems, you have to face them or they will always be problems. Do you always want to live in fear?"

"I don't, I don't…but...but…how," Rachel hiccupped as she cried trying to get her words out but having trouble. "I, I'm scared," she hiccupped abruptly turning back into Cassie's arms. "But I can't be. I can't be anything. I need to go. Yes, that's it. I need to just go."

Rachel may have said those words but she turned back around into Cassie. She tucked her head down in such a way that she hid her face in Cassie's blonde hair.

"Awe, sweetie," Cass hugged the young girl tightly. "You don't have to go anywhere. We're not sending you away. We want to talk to you." Rachel shivered in her arms.

"I have to go, I have to go." Rachel repeated. "They all claimed they wanted me at first and then they hated me and and you don't really want me you don't. I have to go!" she was practically squealing into Cassie's ear and Cassie was trying her hardest to keep Rachel from falling onto the ground from her thrashing and hiding.

Cassie was not going to let the girl go. She also knew she could not stand up and fight the panicked child who was now in fight or flight instinct. She backed Rachel and herself to the wall by the attic steps and slid down. The blonde gave her life partner a pained expression.

Silently she mouthed, "What do we do?"

Shelby stepped forward and put her hand on Rachel's head and threaded her fingers through the brunette's hair. She started singing, softly,

_"__Nothing's gonna harm you_

_Not while I'm around_

_Nothing's gonna harm you_

_No sir, not while I'm around_

_Demons are prowling everywhere_

_Nowadays_

_I'll send 'em howling_

_I don't care, I got ways_

_No one's gonna hurt you_

_No one's gonna dare_

_Others can desert you_

_Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there_

_Demons'll charm you with a smile_

_For a while_

_But in time nothing can harm you_

_Not while I'm around"_

Rachel sniffed and looked up at Shelby, pulling her head back from Cassie's hair, (which was now matted from Rachel wrapping her hands around in it, and from the young girl's tears).

"You didn't call?" she whispered. "You really promise?"

Shelby nodded slowly. "I really promise, sweetie."

"The Reverend won't get me back?"

Cassie and Shelby exchanged a quick look. They couldn't promise her that she wouldn't go back to her legal guardian. They realized that they really shouldn't be promising her anything.

"Sweetheart, we didn't call anybody and you're staying right here with us for a few days, okay?" Cassie let her know.

"I, I will go after a few days then cause I am not going to let him touch me like that again!" Rachel vowed, trying to sound brave and grown up.

Shelby and Cassie's hearts broke as they glanced over at each other. What did this poor little girl mean? What had this girl been through? Why had the Reverend been touching her?! HOW had he been touching her?!

They had to save her, and they knew it.

Cass rubbed Rachel's back, soothingly. "Rachel...what are you talking about, honey? How did the Reverend touch you?"

Shelby sat down next to them, curious and feeling horribly sorry for this poor child. She was so wrapped up in the little girl's story that her day of mourning was disappearing from her mind, which made her slightly frustrated with herself.

"Not going to tell. Can't tell or go to hell. Not going to tell. Can't tell or go to hell," Rachel started to mumble again, starting to pull away from Cassie.

"Rachel, do you believe God gives people angels to watch over them to help them?" Shelby asked, rocking Rachel in her arms. When Rachel remained quiet in her arms Shelby continued. "I believe an angel sent you here because the angel knew you were not bad and there were people here who wanted to help you and wanted to give you hugs and kisses."

Rachel sniffed and looked up. "But God punishes you for your sins. That's what he told me. And that I was a bad bad sinner. That I was going to hell for it. Why is God sending angels if I'm bad?" the poor little girl was so confused after everything that'd happened to her. No wonder she had such serious trust issues.

"Then you must not be so bad, huh Rachel?" Cassie spoke up. "Because you're here now. The angels were watching you and they sent you here and things are going to be better, okay? We're going to help protect you. We're going to take care of you."

"Promise? Both of you Promise? You got to say it out loud just like the Reverend says. If you don't say out loud you only wanted it to be a secret and you did not mean it. The Reverend whispers I am good when he touches me. Then later I am bad out loud." Rachel turned around so she was sitting sideways so she could look into the eyes of both women

Another conversation without words happened between the two life partners. Now they were afraid to tell her she was good; if that's what the Reverend told her while she was being touched...

But she certainly wasn't bad...

"You are perfect, Rachel." Shelby told her, deciding that taking too long to say anything would scare her. "We promise. We've got you. We're going to help you."

Rachel found herself feeling a weight sliding off of her. The heaviness she had felt since being discovered was off of her. Now she just wanted to eat, play with the cat and help Shelby not be sad.

"Shelby what can I do today so you are not sad?"

"When is Breakfast?"

"Did you know Barbra made a mess on the counter?"

"Do I have to sleep in the attic again tonight?"

"Do you want me to make some more messes so you can clean?"

Shelby triple blinked at the sudden change of pace. She figured perhaps it was a defense mechanism.

"Rachel," she said softly. "Please don't worry about me being sad today. I will be okay, right now we're worried about you. Breakfast will be in a few moments, after I make it. I can see that Barbra made a mess on the counter...we'll find somewhere for you to sleep besides the attic. We all just need to breath and take things one step at a time, okay? Did I answer everything?"

Rachel sniffed, "Do you want me to make more messes so you're not as sad?" she repeated.

With a small smile, Shelby answered, "No sweetie. It's okay."

A few minutes later, Shelby had the counter cleaned from Barbra's breakfast and things set on it to cook. Cassie had excused herself to take a quick shower. Rachel stood beside Shelby, watching her curiously.

"What's that?" Rachel asked curious about the strange looking machine that plugged into a wall. It had a lid and when you opened it up it had tiny squares in it.

"It's a waffle maker sweetheart," Shelby asked the little brunette. "Do you like waffles?"

"Don't know, I never had them before," Rachel whispered, clutching her stomach as it growled loudly. "Sorry," she apologized knowing Shelby had heard it.

Shelby smiled faintly. "Don't be sorry, sweetheart. You're hungry. I'm sure you haven't had a proper meal in..." she stopped her sentence, unsure how to finish it. She wasn't positive this little girl had ever had a proper meal, and that made her very sad.

Shelby's mind was arguing with itself. Her emotions were so conflicted. She wanted to help this little girl and she was so very concerned as to how she wanted to do it. She was sad for her little girl, but was also very sad for this little girl. She was upset that she hadn't been allowed to keep her baby-that she hadn't been able to help and raise her _own_ baby. But she knew that right here, right now, she could at least help this little girl.

She swallowed her feelings for her little girl and focused on Rachel.

Rachel was someone she could help right now.

Shelby looked down at Rachel. She leaned her shoulder into the singer. The child seemed to just soak up even the most innocent of contact. Shelby reached down and petted Rachel's extremely long hair.

"Would you want to help me cook?" Shelby asked the little girl who had her hands on the counter expectantly. Shelby noticed the little girl's hands. They, along with the girl itself, needed a good cleaning.

Rachel nodded excitedly. "I've never cooked before. I don't know what to do." she admitted, but was sure Shelby could show her. She wanted to learn any and everything Shelby and Cassie had to teach her.

"Well first," Shelby laughed lightly. "You need to get those hands of yours washed."

"I got to go to the bathroom too," Rachel admitted. "Is it okay to do both? I promise I won't play with the toilet paper this time

Eyes widening in recognition, Shelby said… "Oh that wasn't Barbra?...well now I feel bad for scolding her..."

Rachel looked at Shelby feeling guilty. "Sorry." she said. "I wanted you to be less sad."

"It's okay, honey. And you don't have to ask to go to the bathroom. You can use the one upstairs, connected to my and Cassie's room. Okay?"

"I'll come back. I promise," Rachel told Shelby taking off in a scamper after giving Shelby an easy smile. "I like you Shelby."

Cassie upstairs stepped out of the shower. Her mind was a whirl about what had happened and what was continuing to go on downstairs. She longed to linger here, make a few calls and even contact her lawyer. But she was uneasy to leave her emotional wife alone with the girl to long

Wrapping a towel around herself, she walked into the bedroom to find something to wear. Before she could decide if she was going to call anybody, a little girl crashed into her. Surprised, Cass clutched her towel so it wouldn't fall, and stumbled backwards slightly. She double blinked.

"Hello, Rachel," she said with a soft smile.

"H-Hi," Rachel stammered. She wasn't afraid of Cassie by any means, but Cassie's demeanor was slightly less comforting than Shelby's was.

"You need the bathroom?" Cass figured, stalling for time. She was still contemplating calling her lawyer, even though she'd told Rachel they weren't going to call anyone. Something had to be done. Someone had to be missing this little girl besides the Reverend.

Rachel nodded, pressing her lips together tightly. "I'm gonna cook with Shelby. M-M-May I?" she stuttered, feeling from the blonde's expression she must have done something wrong. "Shelby said I could come in here. I have permission. Honest?"

"Of course, sweetie. It's okay. Hey." She crouched down to Rachel's level. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

The little girl's face got slightly red. "I-I'm not afraid of you, Cassie."

"Okay," Cass tried to seem warm but knew it wasn't often she could pull that off. "Cooking with Shelby is always fun. She can teach you so much, truly."

Rachel nodded, looking up at Cass and watching the blonde's eyes. She thought maybe Cass may not be sad about Shelby's daughter but had other things that made her sad. Impulsively, without thought, she jumped on the bed, scrambled to Cassie so they could look eye to eye, then reached over and gave the blonde a long hug.

Then with a quick scamper she rushed to the toilet. The little girl had no sense of modesty and did not close the door.

"Hurry and get dressed Cassie. You can help too," Rachel told the blonde, reaching over for the toilet paper and standing up to finish so she could wash her hands.

Cassie did not mean to look exactly but her dresser had a mirror that looked right into the bathroom. The blonde could not miss what looked like pink scars on the girl's buttocks. Cassie July found herself getting very very angry. She was going to find this Reverend person and send him to hell herself.

But Cass wasn't going to push the issue to Rachel-she remembered the panic attack the little girl had had earlier. Cass dressed quickly, before Rachel turned around, as the little girl was washing her hands.

They went down the stairs together, Rachel taking Cassie's hand. She wanted the blonde woman to know she could trust her, even though she made messes in their mansion and ate their food sometimes. She didn't want them to call anyone and she had a feeling if one of the women were going to call it was going to be Cassie.

"We need to talk," Cass whispered in Shelby's ear as she leaned down to kiss Shelby's cheek. Cass tasted salt on her lips but said nothing.

"You sure kiss a lot you know that?" Rachel looked at the pair with hands on her hip. "Why?"

Not waiting for an answer, Rachel ran and looked at the square looking things that had little squares inside of them.

"What's that?" Rachel poked at it and gave it a sniff

Shelby laughed, sniffing from the few tears she'd shed while she was alone. "That's a waffle, honey. And we kiss a lot because we love each other. That's just what people in love do."

Rachel reached right up and took it off the plate and took a bite.

_Obviously nobody taught her any manners_, Cassie thought to herself but did not comment.

Instead the blonde decided to watch the girl's brown eyes. They were so expressive. They went from curiosity to approval to excitement in a span of maybe three seconds. The girl gobbled the whole thing down like she had never had food before and did not expect any more anytime soon.

"Rachel, sweetie, you can slow down." Cassie said. "We're not going to take the food away from you. Eating too quickly is bad for you."

Rachel dropped the food at the mention of that word like it was a hot poker in a fireplace. Rachel did not want to mess this up and she definitely did not want them to think she was bad.

She slowed down and took smaller bites when Shelby gave her another waffle. She watched as Shelby and Cassie ate their breakfast with forks and syrup. She watched them cut it with a knife and they actually took the time to eat it. They even used napkins.

Rachel watched with wide eyes. The Reverend only gave her food when he remembered to, and it certainly had never been at a table setting like this was.

"You want to try it with the syrup Rachel?" Shelby asked, picking up the bottle and giving her a soft smile. "It's really, really good that way."

"Um, sure thank you," Rachel tried to remember her manners. It was hard when it came to food because she rarely was given an opportunity to eat, much less sit _still_ and eat. Most of the time she ate standing up. Rachel let Shelby put a little on the side of the waffle. The girl then tried to cut it like the women were doing. She was having some trouble. She had not used a knife very much. She was clumsy. The women were almost finished and she had not even bit into the waffle with syrup.

With a small smile, Cassie realized she couldn't cut it. "Do you want me to cut it for you, Rachel?" she asked.

Rachel nodded slowly and let Cassie take the utensils out of her hands so she could cut it. Rachel was appreciative but felt awkward that Cassie was helping her. The young girl wasn't used to being helped-she was used to having to do things on her own, even if she messed them up

Rachel's eyes said it all when she took the bite with the syrup. It was so good and she quickly cleaned her plate. She did not speak but concentrated on eating slow and not making a mess. She did not notice the two women both looking at her intently. Rachel took the glass of milk placed in front of her and drank it in four long swallows. Only then did she look up with them with a milk mustache.

A thin smile spread across Cassie's lips at how adorable Rachel was.

She usually didn't mind children, though they weren't her favorite thing in the world. However little Rachel had captured her heart and attention immediately and she was very curious as to why that was.

Cassie felt herself on the verge of getting emotional so she stood up and started gathering the plates and taking things to the sink.

"I will get the dishes you two," Cassie told them, starting the water in the sink and keeping her back turned so the two brunette's could not see her face. "Rachel did you see that big tub in the bathroom? Your turn to wash up."

Cassie was counting on Shelby to keep Rachel occupied for at least a little while.

As she rinsed dishes, she realized the reason why she was connecting with Rachel so much. The young girl felt lost, independent and unloved. Cassie hadn't been treated as such…not quite to the extent that Rachel had, as far as she could tell, but she knew what it felt like to be neglected-to be treated like you're nothing.

She wanted to give this little girl the world.

But she also knew that whether she liked it or not, Shelby was not making good judgment calls recently due to her emotional state, so Cassie had to be the one to make the tough yet necessary decisions. She had to at least call her and Shelby's best friend, Holly. Holly was a lawyer so they could maybe tell them where to go from here, but she would be understanding-she'd let them keep Rachel until at least Christmas day.

But Gods she could not do it, she could not do it to Rachel. That little girl had people deceive her whole life. When she contacted anybody, Rachel would be right there and would see her do it. This little girl was owed some honesty.

_Maybe we could invite Holly for dinner?_ Cassie mused, liking that idea immensely.

_I'll ask Shelby about it first_, she told herself.

_Wait, should I? She's in mourning and she's very very confused. She's going to tell me not to contact Holly. I know Rachel will be hesitant to meet someone new...especially based on the episode with us this morning. Maybe I'll give it a day. Tomorrow after classes. Yes. That's when I'll call Holly._

_No, No, how do I handle this. Shelby and I are married. We make decisions together. Nothing has to be decided today. Tonight when Rachel is sleeping Shelby and I will talk_, Cassie told herself, hearing the two brunette's upstairs. She could hear water running for a bath

_Shelby_. Cass thought to herself. It was important that she see how Shelby was doing. This was a lot of information for a mourning mind to take in all at once. She must be so concerned...so scared...so sad. She seemed very lost and though she smiled a lot and was warm to Rachel, she was an actress, Cass had to remind herself.

On December 18th, Cassie made a point of not leaving Shelby's side. She was finished with the dishes, Cassie would get upstairs and check on things. Maybe the three of them could watch a movie after this. Get Rachel comfortable with the two of them. Rachel seemed tired, if she fell asleep during all the better. They could talk.

She wanted to ask Shelby if it was okay to share with Rachel, Shelby's ritual birthday cupcake with a candle she always did. Though it may be too private.

She still had to order them online so the bakery would deliver the 4 dozen on time. They always shared them with their students the next day in a little mini holiday party at the end of class.

"I will start the water for you and you can undress and get in," Shelby told Rachel, stooping down to turn on the nob and get the temperature just right. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Rachel who stood there twirling her hair in fingers nervously.

_Maybe she is just modest_, Shelby thought to herself. The singer was really trying to hold it together. Her day of mourning had been anything but so and she was feeling so pulled apart.

"I'm going to step in the bedroom now and find you something to put on, ok?" Shelby told Rachel, patting her shoulder and leaving the room to give the girl some privacy.

"Don't shut the door," Rachel blurted out suddenly. Rachel did not like closed doors at all. They reminded her too much of being stuck in a closet.

Rachel undressed hesitantly. She was not exactly wanting to keep Cass and Shelbs from seeing her back but she felt it made her look ugly. The marks on her back were real old though. They were before the Reverend. They were from her daddies. Her daddies that they took to jail because they beat her. They had not touched her down there. She just seemed to get in trouble for every single thing with them. They punished her a lot. The police had called it child abuse. To Rachel, it was normal. It had always been that way.

The police had then took her away and given her to the Reverend. He was what they called a foster parent. That word foster parent turned out to be just as bad as her daddies. Whereas her daddies just beat her, Reverend touched her in what he called the "naughty places". To Rachel that was worse than the beating. But like her daddies, Reverend also beat her bottom too.

Rachel decided she had spent too much time thinking about things and she just needed to get in. The girl did like this tub that reminded her of a swimming pool.

Shelby's next dilemma was what to put on Rachel. She stepped out in the hall and called down to Cass.

"Cass, could you go upstairs and bring up Rachel's clothes? I want to see what we have to work with so we can figure what we can put on her. We may need to see if Holly can bring in something," Shelby called down a level.

Their best friend Holly often worked with children and the children often passed clothes around, second hand. Surely she could find something that would fit the girl.

When Shelby received an okay, Shelby stepped back into her bedroom. A T shirt and another pair of Cassie's drawstring shorts may have to do again.

. . .

_ "__Twinkle, twinkle, little star_

_How I wonder what you are_

_Up above the world so high_

_Like a diamond in the sky_

_Twinkle, twinkle little star_

_How I wonder what you are_

_When the blazing sun is gone_

_When he nothing shines upon_

_Then you show your little light_

_Twinkle, twinkle, all the night_

_Twinkle, twinkle, little star_

_How I wonder what you are."_

Rachel sang to herself to make herself feel better. This was another song Rachel had heard Shelby sing with her little kids the other day. Rachel sang it as she sank down in the water so only her neck and head were above the surface.

. . .

"Not sure these are worth salvaging," Cassie whispered, coming up the stairs and into the bedroom. In her hand was a dirty ripped plaid skirt, a pair of what used to be white knee socks with holes in both heels and a white short-sleeve shirt that was frayed along the bottom. It had red stains that to Cassie looked like blood stains but she was not going to tell Shelby that. At least she would not tell her that today. Rachel also had a very dirty pair of panties that were obviously two sizes too small for her. They looked like toddler panties

. . .

This time, as Rachel sang, her song was not helping. The song on her lips seemed to catch in the air and literally take her breath away. It was sucked out of her lungs and what came out was dark and ugly. She could see the blood in the water. There had been blood in the water so many times.

Why did Shelby not put in bubbles? Rachel asked herself, frantically trying to make sense of things.

Bubbles hide the blood. The blood in the water. The blood that turns the tub pink and swirls down the drain when you lift the stopper.

Rachel could see that blood now. At least Rachel could see it in her mind. And she could see his eyes. The eyes of the Reverend in the doorway as he called her a "Bastard Sinner" that had to be punished for her sins and the sins of her mothers.

She could see him screaming at her to confess, confess as he brought the belt down. "Blood washes the sins of the sinner" he would say. His voice was always deep and loud and shook the house just like when he preached.

Her tears spilled into the water. Just like they always did. She had taught herself never to cry out loud. It made it worse. It always made it worse. But then she heard the voices. They voices outside the door talking. They were soft and feminine. They both talked like they were singing. It was full of emotion, passion and tenderness. With that in mind, Rachel decided it was okay to cry.

The little girl sobbed and sobbed, the memory in the front of her mind, surfacing and reminding her why she knew she wasn't wanted.

What if Cassie and Shelby didn't want her, either? The Reverend had pretended to want her at first, too.

Rachel started kicking and thrashing around, her eyes wide and panicked, her reverie taking over her entire body.

Shelby and Cassie heard her from outside the door, worried.

"Rachel?!" Shelby called in fear. When Rachel didn't answer, she and Cassie burst into the bathroom, terrified. Rachel was shaking, almost as if she was seizing, in pure trepidation.

"Oh my god, Rachel," Cassandra rushed towards her, Shelby was close to follow, both of the women's eyes wide in fear. She was afraid to touch Rachel, in case the little girl would spaz out even more than she already was. Instead she just started saying Rachel's name, very very softly, and warmly, trying to gain her trust.

"Rachel," she said softly, crouching down to the young girl's level. Shelby followed her lead, nervous and feeling emotionally spent and completely vulnerable. She was confused as to why the young one was freaking out like she was. Had one of the older women said or done something? Was it because they had left her alone?

No, it couldn't have been because they left her alone, Shelby reasoned. Rachel had been left alone for a while now.

So what was it?

Shelby hadn't meant to look at Rachel when she didn't have her clothes on, but Rachel was spazzing out and didn't happen to have her clothes on while they were trying to calm her. That's when Shelby and Cassie noticed them-the scars. They were everywhere. The young girl thrashed about, screaming, "Don't let him touch me! DON'T SEND ME BACK THERE! PLEASE. Please. Please. Please. Please."

"Shh, shh, sweetheart, you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to go," Shelby tried to console her.

She eyed the scars a little more carefully and cast her wife a heart broken look, her eyes full of regretful tears. What if this had happened to her own daughter after she'd been forced to give her up? If this was what foster children went through...

A lump formed in her throat and she hesitantly rested a soft hand on Rachel's arm. "Sweetie," she choked out. "Rachel, honey, calm down, you're going to drown yourself…please, stop. Please." a few more tears slid down her cheek. It was so fucking cruel, whatever this man had done to this poor little girl. She and Cassie looked into each other's eyes and vowed then and there to somehow, someway, get the bastard locked up for what he'd done, and to save Rachel from this torturous past that she'd suffered through. To love her and keep her and hold her forever. To make her feel loved and appreciated and special, as she never had.

They were going to give this little girl a safe place. A home. A family.

Cassie had carried Rachel out of the bathroom after they had gotten Rachel clean and out of the tub and dressed. Shelby had climbed on the bed and Cass had placed Rachel in front of her and then had dressed the girl. Shelby's favorite purple fuzzy throw with gold stars was draped around the girl who was sandwiched between Shelby's long legs. Shelby had decided to brush out the girl's hair. Shelby always found it soothing for Cassie to do so to her and absolutely felt like purring when Cass treated her.

Cassie looked over concerned as she typed on her laptop sitting on her lap. She needed to get her order to the bakery for the cupcakes for Shelby's tribute of her lost daughter's birthday. They always celebrated with a cupcake and candle at dinner. Shelby's daughter would be nine this year. The blonde sat propped against some pillows on her bed beside her wife and their little house guest. Rachel's back lay propped up against Shelby's stomach with her little legs stretched out between Shelby's. Rachel still had a faraway look in her eye. The dancer was no psychiatrist but it had been pretty obvious the girl had experienced some type of flashback in the tub. This little girl needed love and help and Cassie was determined to be on the frontline to see she had both. But first she had to understand. Cassie felt that was going to take patience and Rachel would need to feel she could trust them first. Information probably would come out in little pieces.

Cass focused on the online order form and ordering enough cupcakes to give one to each child in their classes tomorrow in celebration of the upcoming holiday. It was their tradition of sorts. The students did not know the real reason why there were always cupcakes on December 19th though. Cass pressed enter when her wife's voice drew her attention away from the screen.

"Hey, you back with us?" Shelby whispered softly, her face close to Rachel's ear as she brushed the little brunette's long brown wet head of hair. While keeping her rhythmic brushing with one hand, Shelby moved her other hand to gently pat Rachel's knee. When the girl stiffened, Shelby stopped her movement with the brush.

"I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You okay with the three of us sitting like this and me brushing your hair?" Shelby asked honestly. The last thing the brunette wanted to do was do something that made the girl uncomfortable.

"It.. It, It's okay," the girl stuttered feeling out of sorts that she had lost time. It was disconcerting. Unfortunately, this had happened before so she was not exactly frightened just uncomfortable. "I, I, I, like it," Rachel said with a hesitant smile turning her head to look first at Shelby then Cass. Both women returned it and Rachel leaned back into Shelby, letting her continue to brush.

"Would you like for me to braid it for you?" Shelby asked gently. Her heart was in her throat as she continued to think she had a little girl out there somewhere that she wished she was doing this for. But Rachel's reply brought her back to the present.

"Really? Would you?" Rachel asked with a sense of happy excitement. "I never had someone touch my hair to fix it up. Could you make me look pretty?"

"Of course I can and I will. Cassie here is an expert at putting hair up in a bun," Shelby told the girl as she started braiding. The brunette looked over at the blonde who was still focused on the computer. Yet as the mention of her name Cassie looked up. She realized Shelby was trying to draw her into the conversation now that Rachel was more aware again. The blonde shut the laptop and moved on the bed so she was facing Rachel's.

"What do you think kid? Should I braid Shelby's hair? Put it in a bun? Or just brush it like Shelby was brushing yours?" Cassie asked, liking the expression Rachel gave her. Rachel clearly was not used to having anyone ask her opinion much less give her a choice on anything.

"Bun!" Rachel said, happily settling her bottom in a little closer to Shelby so the singer did not pull on her hair so much. Cassie patted Rachel's knee again, went to the bathroom cabinet and pulled out Shelby's brush. A few minutes later, she was sitting behind Shelby on the bed and the three of them sat in a line.

"Now who is going to do my hair?" Cassie grumbled playfully as she finished putting her wife's up. Rachel's also was finished and Cass felt Rachel looked more put together and had to be more comfortable with all that hair not all in her face all the time.

"Me!" Rachel said scrambling across the bed with childlike excitement and pushing her way behind Cassie in a flash. Cassie groaned as she was pushed forward while Shelby laughed. "But your hair looks like gold. You look like a princess and you dance like Sleeping Beauty. You need to wear yours down."

"You think so, kid?" Cassie leaned back so she could meet the girl's brown eyes. "Well here's the brush have at." Rachel did just that. The girl was very careful and gentle.

"That feels nice Rachel," Cassie complimented her. "You are very good at that."

"You have pretty hair," was Rachel's only reply. She was starting to think back to the tub. She knew now that they had seen the scars on her body and she had no idea what she might have said. With them both not looking into her eyes it made it easier to talk.

"Do you still want me here?" Rachel asked them, not once stopping her brushing. She did not give them time to reply before she added. "I mean you saw me in the tub."

Cass could not move because she was sandwiched in the middle but Shelby could. Shelby crawled back to the front of the bed. The brunette sat on Cassie's side of the bed, against the headboard.

Shelby took the brush out of Rachel's hand. She wrapped her fingers with Rachel's and cupped Rachel's chin so she would look at her.

"Look at me sweetheart and listen to me very carefully," Shelby implored. "I want you here and so does Cassie," Shelby said with a firm tone that was gentled by a slightly upturned smile.

"Shelby is right Rachel. You have done nothing or shown us nothing that has changed our mind about you staying with us in the mansion," Cassie said as she turned around so she could look Rachel in the eye. "And kiddo, there is NOTHING that you could do or tell us that will change our minds or the fact that we want to help you. You know you can tell us anything right?"

Rachel looked around nervously and bit her lip. Her whole posture stiffened. The change was not missed by the couple.

"You told us some things in the tub and it's okay you don't want to talk anymore right now. We won't make you or force you to say anything else until you are ready," Shelby said gently, wrapping an arm around Rachel's shoulders. "You are safe with us."

"What did I tell you? I don't remember. I never remember, "Rachel admitted, looking Cassie directly in the eye.

"You talked about not letting him touch you and not to send you back. Was that the Reverend?" Cass asked her, gently rubbing her leg as she spoke.

Rachel only nodded. She felt a panic rising as she whispered out, "He lives in Lima. His church is the Methodist one by the police station. Can we not talk right now? Please?" she pleaded. She didn't mind Cassie and Shelby touching her knee or her leg—when they did it, it felt comforting. Not at all like the Reverend.

"Of course sweetie. How about we watch a movie?" Cassie took the lead role in talking. Shelby was on the verge of losing it again, and Cass tried to give her a sympathetic smile. What a doubly hard day for her sweetheart.

"What kind of movies do you like Rachel?" Shelby finally managed to get out.

"Don't know. Reverend said TV was the devil's playground and I don't remember much about before," was all Rachel told them cryptically.

"Well let's see what we can find then. I think I know one that just might be perfect," Cass had with a smile taking Rachel's hand. She knew Shelby needed a few minutes to pull herself together. "Let's take the blanket with us. Let me show you are what we have in the parlor."

Shelby had whispered to Cassie that she wanted to watch Cats, and that it was a movie that Rachel could enjoy, too. Cass was slightly hesitant, because the only version they had of Cats was the filmed stage version from when she'd been a performer, (she usually didn't like to re-watch things she'd been in-in Cats, she'd played the cat Bombalurina), but taking a look at Shelby's face, she figured what the hell. Shelby was going through a hell of a day, Rachel needed some sort of comfort, and Cats was something they could all watch together.

After putting the movie in, she joined Shelby on the couch. Rachel insisted upon sitting cross legged on the floor, directly in front of the couch. She was close enough that Shelby could braid her hair as she'd earlier promised she would, but not sitting directly with them.

Cass sat with Shelby between her legs who was leaning over the edge to braid Rachel's hair as they watched. When Cassie's cat first appeared on screen, the blonde scrunched her nose, critiquing her every step and facial expression. She ran her hands comfortingly down the length of Shelby's arms as the brunette worked to fishtail braid the young girl's hair.

Even though Cassandra was in costume and completely covered in makeup, Rachel recognized her right away. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as a sense of realization struck her. She hadn't realized how famous Shelby and Cassandra had been before they owned the studio. Cassandra was in this musical?! She wondered to herself, amazed and slightly star-struck. Was Shelby?

The little girl didn't quite understand the depth of their stardom, but if Cassie was on the TV, she must be pretty important. She spun around while Shelby was in the middle of braiding her hair and Shelby dropped it in surprise so she wouldn't accidentally pull on it. She shrugged and let it fall. She had time to redo it-Cats was a long musical. Rachel got up onto her knees and put her hands on Shelby's knees to look around to Cassie.

"You're in this?" She asked.

Cassie nodded softly. "Yes, sweetheart. Is that okay? We can change it if you want..."

Shelby hit Cassie's stomach lightly in protest. Shelby absolutely ADORED watching Cassandra's performance of Cass (particularly the dance moves that matched to the slightly more seductive music. It was a PG musical, but there were some dance scenes that were quite...saucy), and she loved watching Cassie perform in general. Cassie just didn't like watching herself in things, and Shelby couldn't completely blame her because the brunette didn't often like to watch herself either, but still.

"No, I wanna see you dance. You dance really good." Rachel said very seriously, nodding her head at the blonde. "I watched you teach the other kids."

"Thank you, Rachel. That's very sweet of you to say."

"Mmmhmm!" Rachel nodded and turned her attention back to the screen, listening to the beautiful Andrew Lloyd Webber music coming out of the speakers on the television, focusing on the dancers in cat costumes, and spotting Cassie doing some sort of spin move in the corner. It was still the very beginning of the musical.

Shelby started re-braiding Rachel's hair again and Cassie distracted herself, as well as Shelby, by placing sweet kisses on Shelby's arms, her shoulders, and the back of her neck. She wasn't worried about Rachel seeing-the little girl was focused on the musical, which seemed to be dazzling her.

When Rachel saw the person dressed as a Siamese, her face brightened and Cass hesitantly stopped kissing at Shelby when Rachel turned around to face them, bouncing excitedly, happy for one of the first times in a long time. The musical was distracting her and she was starting to slowly trust that Cassie and Shelby weren't going to call anybody and since she wasn't worried, she had time to be ecstatic. She pointed at the screen.

"Shelby!" she exclaimed. "That cat looks like Barbra!"

Shelby nodded and smiled softly. "She does, doesn't she?"

Cocking her head to the side in wonder, Rachel said, "Where IS Barbra?" she climbed up onto the couch with Cassie and Shelby and sat next to Cassie, on her knees, leaning over the blonde to look for the Siamese. "Is she with you?" the little girl wondered.

"No, she's not." Cassie said, looking around. "I'm sure she's here somewhere..."

Shelby spotted the cat on floor near the end of the couch and stood to retrieve her. She put the cat in Rachel's lap and the little girl sat on the couch properly, stroking the cat's back warmly. The cat purred and cuddled into Rachel.

Cass smiled, feigning jealousy. "I think I've been replaced."

Shelby sat on the other side of Cass, pulling the blonde close for comfort. Her heart felt so open and vulnerable today, and she just needed to be as close to Cassandra as possible. "It's okay, I'll keep you company," Shelby whispered into the blonde's ear.

"Mmm. Good." Cass whispered back, placing a soft kiss on Shelby's cheek.

Rachel continued to contently pet the cat as she watched the musical run through.

When Cassie's cat danced with the Rum Tum Tugger, (the main male cat that seemed to be everyone's love interest but Bombalurina's in particular), Shelby held tight to her wife, burrowing her nose into the blonde's neck. "I don't like that he touched and danced with you like that," Shelby whispered, practically green with envy.

"Sweetheart, it was a long time ago," Cassandra laughed lightly. "We were just acting."

"But I'M the only one who can hold and touch you like that." Shelby said, holding the blonde tighter.

"I'm all yours." Cass whispered to her.

"I still think you dance good," Rachel interjected.

Cass smiled softly.

Later on, Cass offered to show Rachel a show of Shelby on TV, and Rachel she had practically jumped around the room in anticipation, scaring poor Barbra who ran upstairs. Rachel was convinced both Cass and Shelby were the best performers in the entire world. Shelby and Cass were both very pretty. Rachel sure was glad they were letting her stay with them and had not sent her away.

"So what are we watching? Does she sing and dance? Where did you do this? Is it hard? Did people pay you? I sang in front of the grocery store for money." Rachel blurted out suddenly very talkative.

Cass tried to answer every question she heard. "It's my profession, sweetheart, but it took a lot of hard work. This was performed in New York City. I was paid, a lot of money, which was how Shelby and I could afford the mansion. I'm going to show you a production of Wicked that Shelby was in. Is that okay?" She stored in her "Information about Rachel" file in the back of her head the fact that Rachel was busking for money in front of the grocery store. She wondered how long the little girl had done so before it got colder and she found the mansion.

Rachel crinkled her eyebrows in wonder. "What's that about?"

"A good witch and a bad witch. Like The Wizard of Oz."

Shelby had gone to the bedroom for a little while, so Cass and Rachel were left alone in the parlor.

"I've never seen The Wizard of Oz..." Rachel informed Cassie, sitting back up on the couch while Cass found the recording. "Is the bad witch awful? Does she hurt people bad? I don't want to watch people be sad…"

"Shelby played the wicked witch, kiddo." Cassie actually laughed lightly. "But she's not _really_ bad. You'll see."

"Okay." Rachel didn't argue. She was starting to trust Cassandra's judgment.

The young girl was slightly caught off guard when she saw that Shelby was painted green for the occasion, and it made her giggle a lot. But then she focused on the words, the music…the storyline. She was completely entranced by Shelby's performance, as was Cassandra (it got to her every time).

Both sat completely still and silent as they watched. Observing. Taking everything in.

Cassandra had to admit she was the tiniest bit distracted—she had to wonder how Shelby was doing on her own upstairs…no doubt she was holding back tears if not finally letting them surface, and trying to get out all of her emotions so she didn't upset or scare Rachel. The blonde thought maybe she should check on her wife, but then second guessed herself.

_I need to leave her alone to grieve for a little while._ Cassandra decided. _I'll just sit her with Rachel and watch._

And so that's what the two of them did.

. . .

Close to the end of Wicked, Shelby joined them in the parlor. She wrapped her arms around Cassandra and watched in silence. Nobody said a word and afterwards she thought about asking Rachel if she wanted to stay in the guest room tonight. It was sort of like a "tribute" room to Shelby's daughter, and decorated in a way that she thought Rachel might like. "I know you made yourself a nice place in the attic. But would you consider staying in one of the room's near us upstairs?" Shelby asked as Cassie turned off the DVD player. "It would be much warmer and close to Cass and mine too."

Rachel had not really wanted to spend another night in the attic. In truth it had been such a long time since she slept in a bed. She was excited about the prospect. She also liked the idea of being close by to Shelbs and Cass.

Cassie, from across the room, could see Rachel was unsure. She wondered what the little girl was thinking.

"It's one of Barbra's favorite rooms in the whole mansion," Cass added. "In fact if we go up there right now we are sure to find her." The blonde walked back over to Shelby and Rachel and reached out her hand. "Why don't we at least take a look at the room? You can make your mind up then."

Rachel took the hand and looked over at Shelby beside her.

"You coming upstairs too right? Or do you need to be alone some more so you can think about your daughter?" Rachel asked, seeing how sometimes today Shelby had just looked at her and had tears in her eyes. "Cass said you are always sad on your daughter's birthday and need time to cry. I hope I have not gotten in the way to much."

"You have not sweetheart. I am very happy you are here. Yes, I am very sad because I miss her and wish she was here but at the same time I am glad you are here and want to be here with us," Shelby explained, rubbing Rachel's arm before taking the young girl's other hand.

Together all of them climbed the staircase

The room was wonderful. It was the most unusual bed that Rachel had ever seen. It was a canopy bed. A bed with a roof on it. Or was it a tent? Rachel was not sure. It had a violet comforter and big violet pillows. The canopy on the top of the bed was matched the bedspread. On the wooden floor was a violet rug with little stars on it.

To Rachel, it was amazing.

Rachel was no expert on beds but this one seemed perfect. And it had a lot of pillows. It had more pillows than you could put your head on, anyway.

There was this really strange window. It was huge and it sort of poked out and had a place you could sit in it. In fact, Barbara was on a violet pillow in the window sill. The window itself was huge and Rachel was sure she would be able to see the moon and the stars through it at night. Maybe that was why there was a star on the rug on the floor.

"Is this the star room?" Rachel asked. "You should call it that."

Rachel walked to the bed and looked at it.

"Is this a princess bed? With the roof and all," Rachel commented, feeling more comfortable now to talk to Cass and Shelby. "Did I tell you that you both look a lot like princesses, sing like them and dance that way too? It makes sense you would have a room with a princess bed," Rachel rambled.

Rachel walked over to the bed and looked at it. It was higher off the ground than Cass and Shelby's bed. Rachel tried to get onto it. It was not as easy as it was to get into Shelby and Cass's. She had to climb into it. It made her think of the picture in that fairy tale book she looked at in the Lima Library. The girl who was a princess had to use a ladder to get into bed.

"This bed reminds me of those stories in the library of princesses. Did you ever read The Princess and the Pea?" Rachel found herself with a strong urge to stand up on the bed and see if she could reach the top.

She got a mischievous look in her eye and she gave into the urge. She had seen trampoline's in the yard beside the Reverend's house. This reminded her off a trampoline. She Rachel looked at the ladies who were standing in the room with her. She bent her legs and got a good push and then jumped.

Rachel reached up to touch the bed's canopy as she pushed off of the bed mattress.

She did it. She touched the canopy frame but her little socked feet never touched back on the mattress. Instead, the tiny brunette found a pair of strong arms grabbing hold of her and taking her in their arms.

"You got the leap of a dancer mastered there, kid. You just got to work on your form and where to plant your feet." Cassie told the young girl, quite amused when the girl used the opportunity to wrap her legs around the dancer's body. A set of hands soon reached up to lace around the blonde's neck.

"Cassandra July, do not encourage her to jump..." Shelby started in but quit when Cassie held up her hand and winked at her.

"Rachel, to do a good quality jump you need to push off from the floor not a mattress," Cassie spoke words she had often said as a teacher. But this time, it lost its hard edge and was much softer and gentler.

"Would you teach me to dance Cassie?" Rachel asked innocently, soaking in the physical attention the dancer was showing her by holding her.

"If you are good and don't jump on the bed. I will show you how to do a cool jump, OK?" Cassie promised.

"Do you like the room? Would you like to sleep here? Its right across from Cass and my room," Shelby asked, her heart totally melting to see her wife interact with this youngster. Cassandra July may be tough as nails, and could send the toughest of students crying, but with this little girl she was a mush ball.

Shelby wondered what Cass would have been like if they two of them had been able to raise her daughter, the one stolen from her arms at birth.

It hurt so badly.

Shelby didn't want Rachel to see her crying. The little brunette was very sensitive.

Cassie frowned as Shelby abruptly exited the guest bedroom, went across the hall to the master bedroom and then shut the door. On every December 18th, Shelby's day traditionally was a lot of tears, reflection and snuggles. This particular year, Shelby had started getting more keyed up about things days ahead of time. Rachel's arrival had forced the brunette to behave differently.

"Shelby has gone to cry hasn't she?" Rachel asked, feeling a great deal of empathy beyond her years. "She misses her daughter. Did I make her cry, Cassie?"

"No, baby girl," Cassie answered honestly, "This is just a hard day for her. It is her daughter's birthday. She would have been nine today." Cassie carried Rachel to the bench seat in the window and settled Rachel in her lap again. Only then did she start to speak again. "This reminds me, every year Shelby and I celebrate her daughter's birthday with cupcakes. I ordered some and the baker will bring them by a little later. I don't want you to get all upset when the doorbell rings ok?"

Rachel lifted up her face a little whispered in Cassie's ear. "It's my birthday too. I am nine today."

"Really?" Cassie asked, completely blown away by the coincidence. She did not get to ask Rachel anymore about it though because there was a ring at the door. "Rachel, that has to be the baker. You want to stay upstairs while I go get them and pay the delivery person?"

Rachel nodded and watched as Cassie went down stairs. From the big window in this bedroom, she could see the delivery van with a big cake on it. It was all very exciting. She had never seen anything from a bakery before. She watched from the window. Cass was getting three boxes of what were probably cupcakes. She hoped she could have one.

It was already her best birthday ever.

Cass was still outside, talking to the bakery driver. The inside of the house was quiet except for what Rachel could distinguish was Shelby crying. Rachel hated that sound.

Without any inhibition or second guessing, Rachel exited the bedroom and walked across the hall into the master bedroom. Sure enough, Shelby lay on the bed sobbing. It made Rachel want to cry some more too.

The little brunette climbed onto the bed and lay down on Cassie's side of the bed. She laid her head on the pillow so she could see Shelby's face. Rachel was afraid to come closer without invitation. What she did do after a few minutes was start singing. She sang the Hebrew lullaby she'd heard Shelby sing before. Though she'd only heard it once, the girl had incredible memory and could sing the proper words and tune.

_"__Erev shel shoshanim_

_Nitzeh na el habustan_

_Mor besamim ulevona_

_Leraglech miftan._

_Layla yored le'at_

_Veru'ach shoshan noshvah_

_Havah elchash lach shir balat_

_Zemer shel ahava_

_Shachar homa yonah_

_Roshech maleh t'lalim_

_Pich el haboker shoshana_

_Ektefenu li."_

Shelby's sobs lessened as she heard the tiny girl's voice, amazed the young one had remembered such a different song. She had honestly been so grief stricken; she did not realize she had company. When she opened her eyes though, she saw Rachel's big brown eyes staring at her with more concern than most kids that age would be able to muster.

"Shelby, I'm sure she misses you too. She is thinking about you to. I'm sure of it. I'm sure your daughter is thinking of you and loves you." Rachel tried to comfort Shelby.

She really understood more than what Shelby even realized. Shelby's sobs had changed now to mostly silent tears and sniffs.

"Trust me; I know what I am talking about. I mean, it's my birthday too today and I have been thinking of my mom and wondering if she is thinking of me today also. I think of her every year. I miss her something awful even though I never met her. I'm sure your daughter feels the same way," Rachel gently assured the singer. "But you know what has helped me this year? It has helped being with you and Cassie. I know I am not your kid but I can give you a hug and be with you when you are sad. It hurts more when you cry alone. Trust me I know."

Shelby found her pulling things together as she started processing some of the things Rachel had just shared with her. The little girl was spot on everything.

"Thank you for saying that, Rachel. I guess you do have a good view from the side of the kid. I would like to think she misses me too. Also, I am very glad you are here with me and that you came here to Cass and me," Shelby told Rachel honestly. "This is a very sad day for me. But together, we can help each other be a little less sad."

Rachel smiled and gave Shelby a slow nod.

"Did I hear you right? Did you say it was your birthday today, too?" Shelby asked, reaching over to take Rachel's much smaller hand.

"Yes, I'm nine today," Rachel answered, scooting closer to the singer so they shared the same pillow. The little girl felt all warm inside when Shelby pulled her in for a hug. "It's sort of funny your daughter and me have the same birthday. Cass went to pay the cupcake man. Can I have one? I never had cake on my birthday before. Well I had a cupcake in first grade one time when a kid in the class had a birthday but that was a long time ago. I don't go to school anymore anyway."

Shelby stored part of what Rachel was telling her for further evaluation; particularly the part of not going to school in a long time. But for now, she would address the cupcakes.

"Sure, Rachel. I always put a candle in one for my daughter and we sing. This year after dinner, we can just put two candles in and sing," Shelby looked up to see her wife hanging in the door. Cass gave her a look as if to ask if she was okay. Shelby gave her a soft nod and mouthed silently "later".

"Can we have cupcakes for lunch?" Rachel asked innocently. "I'm hungry."

"No, absolutely not. We eat healthy food for lunch. Cupcakes are dessert and we have that after dinner tonight!" Shelby's voice took a maternal tone to it.

Cassie could only roll her eyes and smirk. "Rachel I guess you and I are just going to have to go do some jumps down in the dance studio till Shelby makes lunch. You interested?"

Ten minutes later, Shelby was looking in the fridge trying to think of something for lunch listening to the sounds coming up the hall of her wife's distinct laughter and Rachel's childlike giggles.

December 18th had been different this year but like Rachel said, she and the little girl were here to help each other not be so sad of their painful losses.


	10. December 18th Pt2

**We've worked super hard on this chapter so you could have it to read this weekend :)**

**We hope you enjoy part 2 to December 18, and please tell us what you think. **

**Both of us have been fairly busy but we really enjoy writing and working on this gorgeous story whenever we can.**

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley**

**Chapter 10: Fragile Reunion Dec 18 Part 2**

Rachel looked at what was on her plate and scrunched her nose.

_Did they really expect me to eat this?_ Rachel asked herself, noticing that Barbra, on the other hand, seemed very excited about it. _A piece of lettuce with stinky fish that looks like throw up?_

The Siamese cat was under Rachel's feet at the table, purring trying to get anyone's attention there who would dare look down at her.

Rachel didn't want to seem in any way ungrateful, and she was admittedly very hungry. But this fish just looked very unappetizing, to a nine year old, and frankly, Rachel had to wonder how it looked at all appetizing to Shelby or Cassie. _Maybe it's 'cause adults have to sometimes eat things they don't like._ Rachel tried to reason. _To stay healthy? Cassie's a dancer, and they have to stay healthy, right? But __I'm__ not a dancer…_

Shelby had her back to Rachel, still fixing two more plates for Cass and herself. Cassie was in the bathroom washing her hands. Rachel tore off a piece of lettuce and stuck it in Barbra's face. The cat merely sniffed it, but did not take a bite. Rachel thought Barbra might not like to eat from human being's hands, so she dropped it on the floor. The Siamese bent down and sniffed it again, but rejected it.

_Barbra does not like lettuce either,_ Rachel noticed. _I don't want to be ungrateful and I should know better than to turn down a free meal but this smells terrible._

Rachel picked up her fork, tentatively speared a piece of tuna fish, hesitantly put it up to her mouth, and closed her eyes. She shoved it in her mouth and forced herself to chew.

_You could be looking though the garbage cans, Rachel_, she told herself. _This came out of a fresh can and is supposedly "good for me"._

The young brunette could not even swallow it. She could not stop her mouth from rejecting it. It spewed out of her mouth before she realized it, and it fell right onto Shelby's clean floor. Rachel was terrified and disgusted, though Barbra seemed to have some sort of interest in it. The Siamese ran to that barely chewed tuna fish that landed onto the floor. Her little purr rose in volume as she bent down and took a bite.

Rachel smirked and bit her lip, she was just about to put the plate on the floor when she saw Shelby staring at the floor with a look of horror. The perfectionist inside of her head was screaming at the top of her lungs. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw Cassie at the door. Unlike the brunette, Cassie had a smile on her face and was just shaking her head. Shelby gave her wife a peculiar look—the patience that Cassandra was having with this child today seemed unrealistic—especially for Cassandra July.

"Rachel, honey, let's not give Barbra any tuna." The blonde said to the girl. "Shelbs here has got her on a diet," Cassie was trying hard not to laugh out loud, least she get the wrath of her overemotional wife. "Why did you spit your lunch on the floor?" she had to admit she was curious.

"It stunk and looked like throw up," Rachel whispered, not wanting to look up at either of them. She knew she was in trouble. Shelby had given her a real strange look. Though the brunette was longing for a daughter, _her _daughter, she was unaccustomed to feeding a child. In her own childhood, she'd eaten everything her parents did, so she had just assumed that was what Rachel would do, too. She must have even seen her spit it out. Rachel did not want Shelby to be mad at her. Shelby had not shown her that she was the type to hit or yell, but Rachel really did not know that for sure.

"And it tasted like the stuff I pull out of dumpster sometimes to eat," Rachel tried to defend herself sniffing. Rachel hated all these tears. This had been nothing but a day full of tears for everyone, and she had thought that they were all so much stronger. She had never cried so much at one time in her whole life. The little brunette suddenly found the floor a lot more interesting than either adult's face. "I, I tried it but it came back up. Shelby, I am sorry I messed your floor up."

"Hey, Hey Rachel," Shelby cooed at the little girl who was getting way to upset over something that really was not a big deal. Shelby actually blamed herself—of course a nine year old wasn't going to eat tuna and lettuce. What was she thinking?

Well, really she wasn't thinking. She was just existing, today.

"It's okay. Barbra helped clean it up, and then we can use a Clorox wipe on it. We won't even have to mop, okay?" The singer assured the youngster, reaching a tentative hand up and cupping Rachel's chin, ever so gently, so she would look up. "Let's just not give Barbra anymore, okay? We don't want her to get too much people food. She has her own."

Shelby opened her arms and reached them around Rachel for a reassuring hug. The little girl melted into her. Shelby had no idea how it happened but a few moments later, it was her sitting in the seat that Rachel had been sitting in. Shelby now had Rachel in her lap, curled into her, with the girl's head on her shoulder. To Shelby, it felt so right and like it was such a natural thing to do. For the first time in her life she felt so…maternal. The singer felt she may also be disloyal to her own lost daughter, for a moment, but that was only a fleeting thought. For now.

Rachel patted her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "You give good hugs, Shelby, and your lap is soft."

Cassie appeared to Shelby and Rachel's side and leaned down to kiss Shelby's cheek, before whispering in Rachel's ear,

"How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" the dancer asked, still with a hint of amusement in her voice. Of course it would be difficult for a nine year old to even attempt to be accustomed to Shelby's obnoxiously healthy and rare cooking.

"Triangles?" Rachel asked, not moving off of Shelby's lap but looking up at the blonde.

"Triangles and no crust if you would like," Cass promised, laughing out loud at the enthusiastic nod that she received. "Alrighty then. One PBJ coming up. Shelby can eat your plate, Rachel. She is sitting down, after all. I got this."

"I'm sittin here, Cassie," Rachel told the blonde as a PBJ sandwich was placed at one of the two empty chairs at the four seat table. Rachel wiggled her bottom on Shelby's lap for emphasis then leaned over the table and grabbed her sandwich.

Shelby was finding it harder and harder to distance herself emotionally from Rachel. Though she had been trying to, on the grounds of not knowing for sure how long she would be able to stay, and on the grounds of staying loyal to her own daughter. The little brunette was making it nearly impossible. It was not her story, or how cute she was; it was something more basic and human. When she held the little girl, when Rachel's small thin body snuggled in close, it was like the act alone was chipping away at a part of herself that she had hidden away behind the largest of walls. It was the side of her humanity that wanted to nurture, defend, and protect a child in any way that would be called maternal. Shelby was a wife, a teacher, an actress, a performer, and an advocate for mentoring the next generation of talent—but that was all she had allowed herself to be seen as, or to see herself as.

Earlier that morning, they all had woken up on the couch, Rachel was nestled under Shelby's neck and her head was on her chest. The foundation of that brick wall had begun to shake and all through the day so far Shelby felt bricks being chipped at and broken.

So now, she was eating, with this enchanting little girl who broke into their home, on her lap. It took a little extra effort to eat, but that was not really a big deal. Particularly when Cassie finished first and started feeding her.

"That's funny Cassie, why are you feeding Shelby, she is OLD. She's too big," Rachel asked with an impish grin, but there was also something there that quick witted Cassandra picked up on.

"Because kid, you are never too old to be loved and taken care of," Cassie explained, putting more tuna fish on the fork and putting it in her sweetheart's mouth. "It makes Shelby feel loved, special and it makes me feel loving towards her."

"I don't know what love feels like, "Rachel said honestly, finishing one of the two triangles and leaning her back totally into Shelby's front. "But I feel safe and not scared when you and Shelby touch my hand, hold me or let me sit on your lap."

"I am very glad about that sweetie, because you are safe and I don't want you to ever be afraid of me," Shelby whispered, unable to restrain herself. She kissed the top of Rachel's head. Another brick fell and Shelby was not going to make any effort to hold onto the brick to rebuild her wall later. She instinctively knew that.

Shelby's musing was interrupted by Cassie's big toe rubbing against her bare foot. It was not teasing or flirty. It felt affectionate and like a gentle reminder that Cass was there for her, always.

"I love you too," Shelby spoke softly, lifting her head ever so slightly and puckering her lips as if to beg for a kiss. It was a kiss that was quickly granted. Cass may have intended it to be quick and brief but let Shelby take the lead. Shelby reached one arm around Cassie's neck and held her there. The message that Shelby sent her lover was clear: I love you. I want you, and you complete me.

"You're squishing me," Rachel squeaked with a giggle, causing both women to draw apart quickly. Both looked down to see Rachel's smiling face. "I liked it though. It felt like I was the peanut butter and you both were pieces of bread. We three are all a sandwich." She concluded with a head nod.

"A sandwich, huh?" Cassie said, surprising Rachel by dropping a soft quick kiss to her forehead. "Is that a hint you want another?"

"Um, yeah…unless Shelby has changed her mind and we can have cupcakes now?" Rachel asked, turning her body slightly so she could look up at Shelby with her big brown eyes.

"After dinner," Shelby's voice answered firmly, but it did not scare Rachel like the Reverend or her daddies had done. Shelby placed another kiss to the top of her head.

"One more PB&J coming up," Cassie said standing back up to the counter where the jelly and peanut butter still sat. While she fixed it, Cassie found herself thinking more and more. She had a good amount of time to study Rachel and Shelby. They looked so much alike. Rachel shared Shelby's lost daughter's birthday. Rachel was the same age. That was a lot of coincidences.

"Hey kid, were you born in Lima? Shelby was. I was born in New York," Cassie asked trying not to sound to probing.

"No. My daddies said they took me from Columbus then came back here," Rachel said, gratefully taking the second sandwich from Cassie and taking a bite. "They might have lied though. They were bad men and the police took them away."

Shelby and Cassie shared a look and had a mental conversation again. Shelby mouthed the word "Holly" and Cassie nodded. Cassie mouthed "Later" and Shelby nodded back in agreement.

"Hey, you both sing so good. Can you do something together this afternoon and can I watch?" Rachel asked, taking a bite and then reaching for her glass of milk.

"What do you think Shelbs? You up for it?" Cassie asked, stepping away from the counter and coming back to the table before sitting down.

"Sounds good to me," Shelby said, looking first at Cassandra and then down at Rachel.

"Yeah," Rachel said excitedly, pumping her fist.

"Ok. Then it's settled." Cassandra smiled at Rachel's excitement and Shelby's genuine desire to participate. It was going to be an interesting afternoon.

. . .

Cassandra let Shelby pick the song they were going to sing, partly due to the reason that Shelby looked like she needed to make a decision right about now to distract her from doing anything rash, and partially because Cassandra wasn't in the right mind set to think about what was appropriate and not appropriate to sing in front of a young girl.

In the end, Shelby had decided on For Good. It was a song Rachel had already heard, since she'd watched Wicked, and it was a beautiful duet between two women that she and Cassie could sing together.

Taking out a microphone for Cassie as well as one for herself, Shelby hit the play button on the stereo and the first few piano notes struck through the speakers, cuing the brunette to start with Elphaba's part with the instrumental version of the song.

_"I'm limited,"_ Shelby sang, glancing over at Cassandra from across the grand piano, half for dramatic effect and also because Cass was all the way on the other side of the room. Shelby gave a half laugh and whispered, _"Just look at me."_ flickering her gaze to the ground before closing her eyes and singing with such passion, _"I'm limited. And just look at you, you can do all I couldn't do, Glinda."_ Shelby's eyes already glistened. This song was so powerful no matter how many times she sang it.

Cass had to scoff in her mind for a moment at the fact that she, in this song, was the frilly, effervescent Glinda of the North. But in this song she was more than just the pink blonde stereotype and Cassie knew that wholeheartedly. This song meant a lot to both women, emotionally.

_"So now it's up to you,"_ Shelby continued, walking towards Cassandra and whispering, _"For the both of us,"_ before finishing up the intro, _"Now it's up to you..."_

Rachel sat on the studio floor, her back pressed against the mirror, and her little head very nearly touching the barre above her. She watched intently, completely taken over by feeling. She watched as Shelby's entire demeanor changed the second she had starting singing. She could see what the music did to these women. They were so passionate about what they did. It was truly very beautiful to watch.

_"I've heard it said,"_ Cassandra started. _"That people come into our lives for a reason. Bringing something we must learn. And we are lead, to those, who help us most to grow, if we let them."_ she smiled at her wife very gently and Shelby's silent tear back was a wordless thank you for everything Cassandra had ever done for her. For making her feel comforted. For loving her and holding her, and never letting her go. For thinking her so strong on the days where she felt like the weakest person in the whole world. _"And we help them in return," _Cass continued to sing, taking a step towards Shelby and shaking her head, shrugging her shoulders and singing, _"Well I don't know if I believe that's true, but I know I'm who I am today because I knew you."_ she took Shelby's hand in hers, tightly. _"Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes the sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood. Who can say if I've been changed for the better, but, because I knew you, I have been changed for good."_

The next verse Shelby always sang for her lost daughter—yet another reason why she had chosen this particular song. For its double meaning, and for its sincerity.

_"It well may be,"_ her voice was low and sad but full of hope. Full of love. _"That we will never meet again in this lifetime. So let me say before we part, so much of me, is made of I learned from you. You'll be with me," _she let another silent tear fall, her face raw and red from all that she'd shed today. She vowed not to let herself cry again for a long time after today. She absolutely loathed tears. _"Like a handprint on my heart,"_ her right hand placed over hear heart, she took a long deep breath and continued without breaking, turning her story and meaning towards Rachel. _"And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have re-written mine by being my friend,"_ she winked at the little girl and the girl winked back, excitedly. It was like watching Wicked in real life. Up close.

She was dazzled by Shelby and Cassie's performance.

_"Like a ship blown from its mooring, by a wind off the sea_," Shelby carried on. _"Like a seed dropped by a sky bird in a distant wood. Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But, because I knew you,"_ Shelby's hand had never left Cassie's and she squeezed it tightly before finishing the verse and continuing onto the verse, _"I have been changed for good...and just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness, for the things I've done you blame me for."_

It was her apology for all of the tears. For all of the long, sleepless, nightmare filled nights. For all of the breakdowns and panic attacks and freak out sessions.

_"But then I guess we both have blame to share,"_ Cass continued before they both harmonized,

_"And none of it seems to matter anymore..."_

They interspersed the verses simultaneously; two voices like angels combining to make the most gorgeous of duets.

_"Oh like a ship blown from its mooring-"_

_"Like a comet pulled from orbit-"_

_"By a wind off the sea-"_

_"As it passes the sun-"_

_"Like a stream that meets a boulder, halfway through the-"_

_"Like a seed dropped by a bird in the-"_

They ended up together on, _"Wood."_

And as they harmonized throughout the rest of the song, they pulled each other close-their hands always linked.

_"Who can say if I've been changed for the better? I do believe I have been changed for the better..."_

_"And, because I knew you..."_

_"Because I knew you..."_

They both finished the song wonderfully; Shelby having a bit more closure than she had at the start. _"I have been changed...for good..."_

As the song ended, Rachel clapped and clapped and clapped and clapped. "You two are AMAZING." she exclaimed. "Why'd you stop Broadway? You're so great! You could be so rich if you sang outside of the grocery store like I used to! You'd sure get a lot of money because you're so great at performing and people would love to hear you sing and watch you perform..." the girl was rambling and Shelby smiled down at her.

"You think so?" she asked, unsure what else to say. She felt horrible that the young girl'd had to result to busking in front of the grocery store, even if it wasn't her fault that it'd happened. She knew she shouldn't get too attached (especially not since they hadn't yet talked to Holly about if it was even a possibility to be able to keep Rachel) but she couldn't help but feel some sort of connection to Rachel. She felt like she needed to protect the young girl forever and ever. She definitely did not want to let the young one out of her sight. If she and Cassandra had anything to do with it, Rachel would never be hurt ever again.

. . .

Rachel had seen the basket of toys in the room with the TV when they had watched Cats and then Wicked. It had a bunch of toys for Barbra and the little girl was itching to try them out. Shelby had gone to make hot chocolate and Cassie to get her laptop. Cassie had promised to show Rachel some pictures of when she and Shelby performed on the stage singing. Rachel did not mind being alone, though. She could hear Shelby in the kitchen. Above her head, Rachel could hear the squeak of the wooden floor where Cassie was stepping above her head.

First, Rachel had to get Barbra's attention. The Siamese was sitting, sunning herself in a colored sunbeam that was shining through a sun catcher. It was making a beautiful beam of light on the nicely polished wooden floor. (Rachel marveled in the fact that virtually every room in the mansion had dance-ready floors). Barbra seemed to love the light that spotlighted the floor as the afternoon sun began its downward descent. Rachel got an idea to get Barbra out of that spotlight. The Siamese was watching her with one eye open. The little girl wondered how the cat could sleep like that. Rachel felt that Barbra slept almost all the time anyway. She needed some exercise.

Rachel saw that she was at least going to be alone for a little while. So she made up her mind that it was safe to "play". She stood up and walked towards the window. Standing on her tippy toes, she made the sun catcher, which was attached to a chain from the top of the window, swing back and forth.

Rachel giggled at Barbra. The Siamese opened both eyes, they instantly caught onto the movement of the light, arched her back, and pounced. Back and forth back and forth the sun catcher moved. Barbra pounced back and forth, too. The cat's tail batted at the light as she tried to pounce on it. It was a fun game for a while, but Rachel grew bored. She was just a little kid, after all.

Rachel dropped onto her knees and stroked the soft silky fur of the cat. She started to crawl over to the basket of cat toys when another basket of multi-colored ribbons caught her attention. Rachel thought she could make a rainbow of her own; sort of like the sun catcher's light in the window that Barbra liked so much.

Rachel grinned from ear to ear—she was going to make her own rainbow!

With a burst of creativity, Rachel scrambled across the floor, and into the dance studio, pulling out a red ribbon spool, a green ribbon spool, a dark blue ribbon spool and a yellow ribbon spool. Rachel easily pulled the different colors off the rolls and tied the ends together on one side. She found herself skipping around the studio in her bare feet holding onto the ribbon.

"Look, Barbra! I am dancing with a rainbow!" Rachel laughed happily. It felt good to be able to play. Rachel wanted the Siamese to play, too. The little girl jump skipped into the room with the cat and deliberately swished her rainbow of ribbons in front of the cats face. Kitty eyes blinked open as a swirl of colors dashed in front of her. The cat reached a paw out to bat the offensive thing.

It was when Barbra pounced that Rachel knew her friend was finally willing to play with her. The Siamese got her claw in one of the ribbons. Rachel had to snatch it away because the cat was also trying to bite it. Rach knew she was going to have to move faster, and decided she was going to add some of the jumps Cassie showed her, in order to be one step ahead.

Rachel pretended she was the sky, pulling out a rainbow from the clouds with the help of the sun after an icy, glistening afternoon.

_"__I'm a rainbow woke up by the sunshine. I'm a rainbow making the day all fine. I'm a rainbow colors in a long line,"_ Rachel sang a song she made up in a sing song voice.

Cass perked her head up upon hearing a young voice singing from the room downstairs. Just as Shelby was finishing stirring the mix for her hot chocolate, she heard it, too.

The young girl was singing some song about a rainbow.

_"I'm a rainbow woke up by the sunshine. I'm a rainbow making the day all fine. I'm a rainbow colors in a long line."_ the little soprano voice trilled up to the adult's ears and they couldn't help but smile softly at each other.

However, Shelby's face fell almost as soon as it had appeared. "What if she's a singer too, Cassie?" She half-whispered her question, feeling desperate to know more about the little girl she was forced to live a life apart from. "What if she has musical ability? What if she dreams of being on a stage, too? We never got a chance to train her. Or hear her sing. Or see just how wonderful-" her voice cracked and she dry swallowed, her hand shaking so much that she had to put her hot chocolate down so it wouldn't spill. "How wonderful she is..."

"Hey, hey," Cassie cooed, taking Shelby's shaking hands in her own and kissing her knuckles softly. "Shelby, listen to me." she pleaded. She looked down into Shelby's soft green eyes forcefully. "Are you listening?" she asked.

Shelby nodded roughly, and Cassandra continued.

"I don't know where she is, my love. But I can assure you that she is wonderful, and she is talented and she is smart just like her mother. I can assure you she loves you very much. I know we are going to find her one day, okay? And wherever she is right now, I'm positive she's having fun. Okay?"

Cass wiped a tear off of Shelby's cheek with her thumb as the brunette nodded. "Okay."

"Sweetheart, we need to get back down to Rachel."

Shelby nodded again, feeling comforted but slightly numb. "Okay."

"Alright?" Cass placed a lingering kiss to her wife's forehead and together they made it down the stairs and to the room where Rachel was dancing and having a grand old time.

Holding her hot chocolate in the doorway, Shelby watched, Cass close behind her, as Rachel spun around in circles with a strand of Cassie's ribbons being maneuvered around her in swirls. She giggled as she twirled, feeling like a princess, and the two women shared a warm exchange of a smile as they watched the little girl enjoying herself for what seemed like the first time in a very long time. Based on what they had learned so far about Rachel and observed from her behavior, it wasn't often that this girl got to have any fun.

Cassandra was pleased that Rachel was so easily amused with her colored ribbons. The dancer herself had to admit that they were quite entertaining.

_"I'm a rainbow, colors from the rain. I'm a rainbow, and there'll be no more pain. I'm a rainbow, shining through. I'm a rainbow and I love you."_ Rachel continued to make up the song as she went along, dancing and playing cat and mouse with the Siamese that belonged to the dancer in the doorway, blissfully unaware of the adults' presence.

"That's beautiful," Shelby couldn't help but tell her. "Did you write it?"

The young girl jumped at the sound and froze where she was, dropping the ribbon with her eyes wide. She spun around, scared from getting caught messing with Cassandra's things. Whenever she was caught touching something that wasn't hers at the Reverend's home, there was punishment. She started to get scared, dry swallowing coarsely. She knew she should've asked before she got the ribbons out. But she hadn't wanted to go upstairs and bother them because what if Shelby was crying again and needed to just be with Cassie?!

"I-I'm sorry!" Rachel exclaimed worriedly, talking quickly. "I know I should've asked before I played with the ribbons, but I saw the sun catcher and how Barbra got excited and I wanted to make my own rainbow for Barbra to play with please please don't be mad, I won't do it again, and I-"

"Rachel, honey..." Cassandra crouched down to her level. "We aren't mad. Not even a little bit." she smiled to show she was telling the truth. But the smile didn't convince Rachel—the Reverend had always smiled, too.

"I was just complimenting your song, honey." Shelby agreed, trying to keep her composure. She knew she needed to focus on the present, and not on the past. "It was really pretty. I was wondering if you came up with it yourself?"

Slightly less concerned, Rachel swallowed and nodded, blushing lightly. "It wasn't anything, really. I was just singing along to the game that Barbra and I were playing."

"Well it was lovely," Cassandra assured her. "And for future reference, you will always have permission to play with my ribbons, so long as you put them back when you're done. Sound fair?"

Rachel nodded, excited at the idea of being able to dance with the ribbons again, and with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Cassandra had said "future"...did that mean she was planning on letting Rachel stay there with them?!

Before anyone could continue, the little one's stomach growled loudly. Rachel grabbed her stomach the minute she realized it was growling. Sometimes she got swatted when her stomach growled in front of her daddies. She was hungry a lot at the Reverend's house. The difference was the Reverend told her it was to help repent from her sins. He called it a time for prayer and fasting

"Hungry, sweetie?" Shelby laughed to try to lighten the mood-she'd seen the look the girl got on her face when she'd realized her stomach was growling. It was already getting pretty late, and dinner was probably in order by now. Shelby wasn't sure why Rachel looked so afraid to be hungry, but she vowed to solve the hunger problem quickly. She glanced down at her own stomach, and placed a hand on it.

"I am, too." she wanted to try to connect more with Rachel—to try to show her that both she and Cassie could be trusted, even on days of mourning. "We should probably start making some dinner pretty soon. Don't worry," she added, seeing Rachel's face which practically screamed don't-make-me-eat-tuna-this-time, "No fish for dinner."

The young girl let out a relieved sigh she wasn't aware she was holding in and made Shelby giggle again. She took Rachel's hand and together they walked to the kitchen, with Cassie close behind.

Shelby walked straight to the kitchen drawer and pulled it open. Inside of it was a bunch of their favorite take out/delivery places. After the lunch fiasco, Shelby wanted to make up for it. The girl had called tuna fish vomit after all. She pulled out a whole stack of the delivery papers and started to thumb through them.

"Let's see: we've got Chinese, Italian, the Deli, Breadstix, and then the pizza parlor," Shelby told Cassie and Rachel, who were standing in the doorway.

"Shelby, we can just have cupcakes for dinner if you want," Rachel told Shelby, grabbing hold of Cassie's hand and pulling her down so the blonde's ear was to her mouth. "I don't like Bacon either Cassie. Don't let Shelby fix us bacon."

Cassie suddenly realized it was not Barbra who had gotten sick on the floor that morning. More and more things were all clicking together now.

"Sweetie, how many times do I have to tell you," Shelby laughed warmly, shaking her head from side to side. "We can't have cupcakes for dinner. It's unhealthy to eat just that."

Besides that, Shelby thought to herself, I have a routine. If I don't do anything else for my daughter today, I have to at least stick to my routine. We have to have the cupcake after dinner. I think I might go crazy. Am I going crazy? I'm probably going crazy…

She turned her attention to her wife, who could sense her confusion and fast beating heart. Cassie made a comforting expression of warning to Shelby—a signal to her lover to take a deep breath and calm down, before saying,

"I think we should let Rachel decide." she took Shelby's hand, wordlessly and so quickly that it went unnoticed by Rachel, who piped up and said,

"Can we have pizza?"

Shelby gave her a smile. "Of course we can have pizza."

Cassie squeezed Shelby's hand before saying, "No bacon. Rachel told me she doesn't like it."

Shelby noticed with another pang of guilt that Rachel was getting along with Cassie better than she was getting along with her. She told herself it was only because it was the 18th. Any other day and Rachel would love them both equally. She hoped. Shelby knew she wasn't thinking straight. She had to calm down, somehow.

"Pizza it is." she was talking but she wasn't hearing her own words. She was very distracted. Numbly, she dialed the pizza parlor's number.

She was barely aware when the phone was taken from her hand by Cassie. She was, however, aware of a tugging on her shirt and arms that reached up and wanted to be picked up. She looked down and bore into expressive, concerned eyes.

"Hold me? I don't care about dumb cupcakes, Shelby. Your daughter needs them more than me. I don't know much about birthdays anyway." Rachel explained, reaching her arms up and looking more like she was five instead of nine. "Can I just have a birthday hug that lasts a real, real long time? I am not so scared when you hold me."

Shelby thought she was going to tear up at the gesture.

Carefully, with slightly shaky arms, she bent down to pick the girl up. She hugged her tightly, tears flowing down her face that she didn't even feel. She knew that this little girl couldn't replace her little girl. But damn, it felt so similar. Rachel Berry seemed like she COULD be her little girl. Shelby's mind was so very confused. So, she decided she wasn't going to think about it anymore. Instead, she just held Rachel like the girl had asked. Rachel wrapped her legs tightly around Shelby's waist and Shelby did not relinquish her hold in any way, shape, or form.

Cassandra, after finishing the call, glanced over to see her wife and new little rascal in a tight, comforting embrace. She decided she wasn't going to interrupt them.

"Thank you, Rachel." Shelby whispered into the little girl's ear.

"Can we have a fire tonight?"

"Can we eat by the fire like we are camping?'

"Can I sit in your lap to eat Shelby?"

"Will you hold me, Shelby, till the food gets here?"

"Does Barbra eat Pizza?"

"When does she eat dinner?"

That was a lot of questions for Shelby's already overwhelmed mind to comprehend. Recognizing this, Cass answered for her.

"I'm sure we can eat by the fire tonight, and I'm sure Shelby won't mind if you stay close to her, sweetheart. But let's not overwhelm her, okay? Remember to be gentle."

"You don't have to be "gentle"," Shelby responded, ever her own savior. Cassandra sighed. Just tonight, couldn't Shelby let herself be treated gently? With compassion and comfort? Didn't she realize she didn't always have to be hard? That she could sometimes be fragile?

"I'm sorry," Rachel suddenly felt guilty. She had been having so much fun this afternoon that she had forgotten how sad Shelby was. And it was a day that Cassie and Shelby cried. And she had ruined it. "I am sorry I am a selfish, ungrateful child," Rachel said the last part under her breath, tucking her head in Shelby's hair and hiding. She did not want the ladies to see her crying now. "I always ruin everything."

"Shh, Shh, Rachel..." Shelby cooed her. "That's not what Cassie meant at all. You're not selfish, sweetheart, you're anything but selfish. We're very thankful that you're here with us today." she tried to console the girl but nothing seemed to be working.

Now there were two people standing and crying and one blonde woman, biting her lip and standing off to the side, pushing back the tears she'd been holding all day.

Shelby motioned for her wife to join them.

"My goodness, so much tears for two beautiful brunettes," Cassie told the pair, joining them and wrapping an arm around Shelby, kissing her head. The blonde made no attempt to tell them not to cry. Honestly, she thought it was helping both of them. Shelby was finally letting it all out and as the same time she had grasped hold to Rachel closer. The two were melted into each other. It was hard to tell where one brunette ended and the other started. Both had lost a lot but they also, on this night, had been given something: each other.

The blonde let go of Shelby's back long enough to gather the throw that was folded on the back of the couch and put it in front of the fire. Cassie watched Shelby out of the corner of her eye. She was crying into the top of Rachel's head; Rachel's whole face was tucked in Shelby's brown hair. She was sobbing, with her cries muffled by Shelby's shoulder.

Cassie moved her hand to Shelby's back and led her to the fireplace, where she turned on the gas logs. Instead of sitting on the couch, Cassie pulled the throw from the back of it and placed it on the floor.

"Sit down, sweetheart," Cassie told Shelby, kissing her wife's ear.

"I think it is my turn to sing to you both this time," Cassie told the pair, not really sure they heard her. Cassie sat down crossed legged on the throw beside Shelby and started to sing.

_"Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moon light_

_Someone's thinking of me, and loving me tonight_

_Somewhere out there, someone's saying a prayer_

_That we'll find one another, in that big somewhere out there._

_And even though I know how very far apart we are_

_It helps to think we might be wishing, on the same bright star."_

Rachel started sniffing as she listened. Cassie had a beautiful voice. Her voice sounded like an angel would if they were singing from heaven. She was not about to let go of Shelby, though. She kept her face tucked into Shelby's hair and continued to listen. She did notice that Shelby was taking deep breaths and sniffing, too.

_"And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby_

_It helps to think we're sleeping, underneath the same big sky_

_Somewhere out there, if love can see us through_

_Then we'll be together, somewhere out there_

_Out where dreams come true_

_And even though I know how very far apart we are_

_It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star."_

Rachel realized that Shelby was no longer crying. She was rubbing her back. The young girl was not used to having people rub her back, but she liked it. In fact, Shelby was rocking her gently in her arms.

Cassie looked over at the two brunette's, glad that the three of them had this music to enjoy, soothe and comfort each other today. Shelby was finally looking her in the eye. The look was that of total love, devotion and even a hint of desire. Cassie fell in love with Shelby every time Shelby gave her that look. But the blonde was a multitasker, and so she kept singing,

_"And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby_

_It helps to think we're sleeping, underneath the same big sky_

_Somewhere out there, if love can see us through_

_Then we'll be together, somewhere out there_

_Out where dreams come true."_

"Now my sweethearts, you both need to remember that you share that tonight under the same sky, those that love you are thinking about you and loving you," Cassie told the pair.

"Cassie, that song is about a mouse, I saw it at the library. I stay there a lot. It's warmer in there. I stay there till closing. They have songs you can check out but I am not old enough and don't have a library card anyway." Rachel told Cassie shifting so she was even more snuggled under Shelby's hair. Rachel was very glad that Shelby did not seem to mind her snuggling. Rachel felt very safe.

Cassie and Shelby shared another look and had another mental conversation. It was another fact that was coming out little by little about Rachel and her situation.

"Where were you sleeping, before you came here?" Shelby asked, knowing she was taking a risk. She rocked Rachel in her arms and rubbed her back. Her actions were meant to show that Rachel was safe and cared for—that it was okay for her to talk.

"Oh, it depends on what was opened. A lot of nights, different churches leave their doors open for meetings and such. I slept in the grocery store boxes by the dumpster one night when I could not find anywhere else to go," Rachel shared, not really shy about it anymore. She felt safe in Shelby's arms; like it was the most natural place in the world for her to be.

Rachel stopped talking when the doorbell rang. At one point in her life, she would have jumped and ran. This time, she did not do either one. Shelby grabbed her more securely and whispered she was safe and that dinner was here before she could even consider being afraid and running away.

It felt very strange for her not to run, but Rachel liked it very much.

"Shelby, you are the safest place in the whole wide world," Rachel whispered, unsure if Shelby'd heard her.

The brunette held the little girl tighter, feeling a strange comfort towards Rachel and strong hatred towards her parents. She should've been able to have this—this mother daughter connection that would've been hers—they should not have been allowed to just take it away from her. Of course, she and Cassie had looked for her little girl before. They'd had their friend Holly try to help them, but it was a completely closed adoption. Even with Holly's help, they were unable to find the information they needed—especially since they didn't even know her daughter's name.

_I don't even know her name._ Shelby wanted to scream. _Damn it, I don't even know my daughter's name! What the HELL gave my parents the right to dictate me?! I'm RUINED because of them. LOOK at what they've done to me._ She had her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Her chest felt like it was constricting. She felt revengeful, somehow.

But then Shelby heard Rachel's words to her, ringing through her ears.

_The safest place in the whole wide world…_

_I am? _Shelby tried to make herself see reason again. _Get yourself together, Shelby. This little girl needs you. It is horrible that your daughter was taken away from you. You will grieve about it later on tonight. Right now, you are the safest place in the whole wide world to a little girl whose life has been pure hell. That's what matters. Take a deep breath._

She did so, and whispered, "You are safe. You are safe, darling."

Cassandra, during Shelby and Rachel's exchange, had gone to answer the door, paid the delivery man, and got them all slices of pizza on paper plates (she knew very well that by the end of the night, neither she nor Shelby was going to be in the mood to do any dishes). She put their food on the table in front of the fire. The sun was completely set now, earlier than usual because of the winter season and daylight savings. The large fire's glow illuminated faces and objects. When Shelby was finally able to allow herself to open her eyes and look up, she saw her beautiful wife; Cassandra's long, wavy blonde hair was pulled off to one side of her, draped down her right shoulder. She had her head down and was looking down at her dinner, waiting for Shelby and Rachel to start eating. Feeling Shelby's gaze, Cass looked up and smiled softly at her wife—softly and supportively. Shelby considered herself so very lucky to have someone like Cassandra as her life partner. Cassandra thought quite the same thing about Shelby.

Though this December 18th was certainly hard on everybody, it was the first year that Shelby was actually somewhat functional. It was true that this wasn't Shelby's only mourning day. Of course, she was sad about her daughter throughout the years, not just once a year. She thought about her daughter all the time. But on this particular day she was especially reminded. The fact that Rachel was here to remind her more, should have been concerning—Cassandra had figured that Shelby would have reacted much different than she had.

It seemed as if Shelby was actually starting to be accepting of the fact that she wasn't going to get her daughter back, and, though it was saddening, there was nothing else that she could do. She was trying, for once, to live in the moment. It was all Cassandra could ever ask for.

Rachel looked up now too and scooted so that she was sitting in Shelby's lap, with her back pressed against her older doppelganger's chest. Shelby admired the close comfort of the little girl—it made her feel maternal, special, and like her daughter hadn't disappeared after all.

Though Shelby didn't want anybody to replace her daughter, she felt that Rachel was as close as she was ever going to get to see her baby girl again, and she knew that was a fact she was just going to have to deal with.

They pretty much ate in silence. All three were very hungry and didn't know just what to say. The moment was comfortable and quiet—a time of security and relaxation for each of them. After which, still hushed, Shelby picked Rachel up into her arms and started walking towards the kitchen. Cassandra took Shelby's side and walked with them, heading towards the box of cupcakes.

Making peace with most of her emotions, Shelby set Rachel down on the stool in front of the counter, and got out a cupcake for her, sticking the candle, that would represent hers and Shelby's daughter's birthday, inside of it.

Cass stuck a match and lit the candle, the first sounds coming out of anybody's mouth for a while being a soothing happy birthday melody. No words—just humming.

Eyes brimming with happy, tears, Rachel knew that all of this was much more than she thought she could ever ask for. It was difficult to wrap her head around the fact that days before she had been freezing in the cold, staying at the library and in dumpsters to hide from those who had hurt her all her life. It was true that she was still running and hiding from them, but she knew that her luck was quite fortunate recently. For the first time her entire life, she was having a miniature birthday celebration. She was getting a cupcake. She had a home where she felt safe, and didn't have to be afraid of everything. She had two women whom, even though they had only just met, she felt she was able to look up to and call mothers.

She knew it probably wasn't very smart of herself to be so trusting so early on. But with Shelby and Cassandra, it felt different. Usually, if she was near someone she was unsure about, she got a vibe to back up or be still or stay far away. With Shelby and Cassandra, she felt the complete opposite. She felt like they were all a family, and if she wanted mothers and these two women wanted a daughter, why couldn't they just have each other?

Rachel closed her eyes and made a wish before she blew out the candle, and Shelby and Cassandra clapped for her, softly.

For once, things seemed like they might be okay. The young girl glanced up at Shelby with a smile that was meant to be small and full of gratitude though she wasn't able to make it be a small smile. Instead it was replaced by a wide and grateful grin.

"You can eat it, Rachel," Shelby said kindly. "It's okay."

Licking her lips, Rachel unwrapped the red velvet cupcake, sticking her tongue out to taste the white frosting on top of it. She licked that, too. It tasted amazing—better than anything she'd ever had before, and she decided that cupcakes were definitely her new favorite food. She turned to her right to see Cassie eating at her own cupcake, and to her left, Shelby was slowly eating one as well. Rachel knew she should be slow eating, too, so she took her time licking off all the frosting before actually eating the cake part, (but the frosting tasted much better than the cake all by itself).

It made Rachel feel special to be a part of their tradition; especially since they weren't exactly a family, not yet anyways. They had just met each other, and even if they already felt so comfortable, there was still much to learn and share.

The little girl was okay with that, as long as it meant she could stay with Cassie and Shelby forever. Smiling down at Rachel, Shelby felt that she might want the same thing.

. . .

A bit later on, Rachel let out a huge yawn that made the little girl's mouth much larger than it usually was. She turned to Shelby and covered her mouth with a giggle. The older brunette smiled down softly at the young girl; she was obviously very tired and Shelby couldn't blame her-it had been an awfully long day for everybody.

Cass noticed the yawn as well and scooped Rachel up into her arms, causing the little girl to giggle.

"Getting sleepy, Rach?" Cass wondered, though she already knew the answer.

The young girl shook her head from side to side, in denial: she didn't want the day to end. She didn't want to go back to sleep and then wake up and things be different than they were today, because things today had been so...nice. Though Shelby was sad and it was a mourning day, it had felt so real and so...Rachel dared to admit it felt good. Though it was a sad day, it was a good day. In fact, it had been one of the very best days she'd had in a very long time. Although she hadn't known Shelby or Cassandra very long, she felt a connection with them. She wanted to be their daughter, and she wanted to stay with them, forever.

"Nope." Rachel said. "Not tired."

"I think you're being silly," Cassie tickled the little girl's stomach, making Rachel laugh and squeal, trying to jump down out of the blonde's grasp. Shelby watched her wife, precariously. She'd never seen her respond so amazingly with a child.

"I'm not being silly," Rachel laughed. "Stop tickling!" she tried to jump again but Cassie's hold was strong and teasing.

"Neverrrrr." Cassie laughed along with the girl. She felt so at peace, joking around with Rachel. She could feel the child inside of her trying to burst free and she felt it was odd. She'd never felt so close to any of the other students—she treated them all the same, with a firm hand and a loving yet strict heart.

Rachel, on the other hand...with Rachel it was different, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she enjoyed the feeling. Taking care of Rachel today had actually made her feel like a mother—something she'd never imagined herself being.

"Cassieeeeeee," Rachel continued to giggle. "I can't breatheeeee," she complained.

Cassandra had been taking the young girl up the stairs and to her guest bedroom while she was administering her tickle attack. Shelby had been close behind, observing her wife's behavior with another slight pang of guilt, (those happened at random intervals throughout the day's entirety).

_What if,_ she thought to herself, _she had been my daughter?_ _Would Cassie be just as loving with her as she is with this young girl? I'm sure she would be..._ she scolded herself. _It's just a very new thing, to see her like this. It's a side of her I didn't know existed...which says quite a lot considering how long we've been together._

Shelby stood silently in the doorway and watched as Cassandra very gently tossed Rachel down onto the princess canopy bed. Rach scooted toward the back of the bed, in the middle so that Shelby could get on one side of her and Cassie could climb in on the other side.

Rachel yawned again, making Shelby give her a knowing smirk. "Not tired, huh?" she questioned. She only had to fight her sadness for another half hour or so, she told herself. _You can cry and be regretful after she goes to sleep. Be strong for this girl. She's had a much harder life than you have._

Shaking her head from side to side, Rachel insisted she wasn't tired.

"How about a story then?" Cassie said, pulling them all under the covers, wrapping the blanket around all of them, comfortably. The young girl nodded hurriedly in agreement and Cass turned her attention to Shelby for story suggestions.

"What about Cinderella?" Shelby offered. "To fit with the princess theme?"

Nodding excitedly, Rachel got comfortable and laid her head back onto her pillow. She loved the story of Cinderella. Shelby turned to Cassie and motioned for her to start. The blonde scrunched her nose. It had been a very long time since she'd read the story of Cinderella.

"It's not going to be perfect, okay, Rach?" she warned the little girl, not wanting her hopes to be set too high.

Rachel shrugged. "Yes it will." she reasoned.

"Oh yeah?" Shelby had to giggle. "Why is that?"

"Because you two are telling it." Rachel stated simply.

Not a single thing Rachel said to the two of them was anything less than loving. It was so very sweet, and touching.

"Okay," Cassie took a deep breath, her heart swelling three sizes.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Cinderella. She lived with her step mother, and two ugly step sisters who always always ALWAYS ordered her around and told her what to do."

Rachel reached for Cassie and Shelby to be closer to her and the adults obliged, wrapping the young one in a hug before Shelby continued, stretching her arm across Rachel to take Cassie's hand.

The position felt so loving: like they were actually a family unit.

"Her sisters and step mother were very cruel to her, and they made her clean the entire mansion all on her own," Shelby said, comfort spreading through her as Cassie squeezed her hand. "But Cinderella didn't always mind the work—it kept her busy and away from those who were mean to her, and it gave her time to herself so she could sing."

It was so like Shelby and Cassie to make the story more like their personalities.

"You see," Cass said, "Because Cinderella had a beautiful voice even though she'd never even had a single lesson. But her step sisters, who took voice lessons every day, sounded horrible. Like a choking parrot."

"Show me!" Rachel laughed at their interpretation of one of her favorite stories.

_"Oh, sing sweet nightingale high..."_ Cassie purposely made her voice sound horrible and Shelby giggled, taking her hand and putting it over the woman's mouth.

"Oh hush you!" Shelby insisted. Rachel teasingly put her hands over her ears and shook her head.

"No more!"

Cass laughed and tenderly kissed the hand that was over her mouth. Shelby released her hold and took Cassie's hand once more before Rachel prompted them to continue.

"What did Cinderella sound like?" Rachel asked Cassie.

Cassandra fixed her voice so that she sounded like her gorgeous self again and sang the song properly, her voice melodic and smooth. _"Oh, sing sweet nightingale, sing sweet nightingale, high..."_

"Is that better?" Cass wondered, with mock concern.

The little girl nodded her head once, firmly. "Much." she informed the blonde decidedly.

"So, since the step sisters liked to torture Cinderella, when they heard about the ball that was supposed to take place at the royal castle, which the whole kingdom was invited to, they saw to it that Cinderella had too much work to finish, and not enough time to do any of it. They made it so that she wouldn't be able to go."

Rachel stuck out her lower lip. "That's not very fair of them."

Shelby shook her head in agreement. "No, it's not."

"Off to the ball the step sisters went, laughing at the fact that Cinderella couldn't join in on the fun. Ella wept and wished for something, anything to happen so that she would be able to go the ball."

"Then her Fairy God Mother showed up and she was all like, "BIPPITY BOPPITY BEAUTIFUL!" Except for Ella was already beautiful, so the God Mother just made her look beautifuller." Cassie said in explanation.

"Not fuller," Shelby laughed and corrected. "She didn't look fuller, but-"

"More beautiful," Cassie rolled her eyes. There Shelby was, correcting her grammar as always.

"Much prettier than either of her step sisters."

"SO pretty that no one at the ball recognized her."

"You forgot the glass slippers!" Rachel piped up.

"Also she had glass slippers," Cassie hurriedly added with a wave of her hand. "So then she danced with the prince, making everyone else in the land insanely jealous-"

"But she was warned she had to be home by midnight, and it was already 11:59." Shelby threw in.

"She left the ball in a hurry, not telling the prince who she was."

The adults knew they had to hurry. Rachel's eyes were fluttering tiredly.

In a rush, they finished, "On her way down the staircase she lost her glass slipper."

"The prince couldn't live without her, so he searched the kingdom for the foot that would fit the shoe."

"He went to Cinderella's house and tried the step sisters,"

"But none of them fit, and he almost left and forgot Cinderella,"

"But then she tried it on and it was a perfect match,"

"And then they got married,"

"And lived happily ever after."

Rachel laughed at them. "You missed a lot." she accused.

With a sigh of ridicule, Cassie flopped herself across the length of the bed, on her back, and said, "I know," so dramatically that Shelby had to roll her eyes and smirk. "I TOLD you it wouldn't be perfecttttt..."

"But it was still gooooddddd," Rachel let her know.

"Well thank youuuuuu." Cassie teased back. "Are you ready to sleep now? You seem pretty exhausted."

"I'm not tired!" Rachel insisted. "Honest!"

Shelby and Cassie shared a knowing look and Shelby nodded. They both stood and re-positioned themselves at the edge of the bed.

"Are you sure you're not tired?" Shelby prompted before using her final tactic. "We've had quite a long day."

Rachel continued to shake her head from side to side and Cassie sighed. "I suppose you'll just have to stay awake with us then." she smiled softly. "Do you want us to sing to you?"

With another nod, Rachel felt lucky she had a warm bed to sleep in and two women who were already sort of like her mommies to sing to her on the cold December night. She knew she probably shouldn't call them mommies yet, since she didn't know if she was allowed to stay here. But, all the same...

Shelby started the Mary Poppins lullaby that she knew would put the girl to sleep.

_"Stay awake, don't rest your head_

_Don't lie down upon your bed_

_While the moon drifts in the skies_

_Stay awake, don't close your eyes."_

Cassie took over the next verse and smiled to herself as Rachel's eyes fluttered again and she leaned further back against the pillow. _This isn't fair_, she decided to herself. _They tricked me for sure._

_"Though the world is fast asleep_

_Though your pillow's soft and deep_

_You're not sleepy as you seem_

_Stay awake, don't nod and dream_

_Stay awake, don't nod and dream."_

By the end of the song, the tired little girl was completely out.

. . .

Shelby changed quickly into her camisole and silk sleep shorts. Though it was winter and starting to get cold, she never bothered to put warm pajamas on—she would be pressed so closely to Cassie all night, anyways, and the body heat between the both of them would keep them both warm enough. She slid under the comforter and stared straight ahead, not even bothering to watch Cassie change into her own pajamas.

Her blonde wife slipped into the bed next to her and Shelby snuggled down into Cassie's embrace, comfortably.

"Hold me," she whispered softly.

"I've got you, sweetheart. I've got you." Cassie whispered into her ear, kissing it softly. "You're okay. It's okay."

"Rachel can't replace my daughter," Shelby knew she was just rambling out loud now. "She can't, but what if she was sent to us for a reason, Cassie? My daughter will always be in my heart and nobody can replace her but...but Rachel needs us...Cassie, she's the same age. Her birthday is on the same damn day." she was shaking, slightly, and Cassie rocked her slowly, back and forth, and back and forth.

"I know, Shelby, sweetie, everything's okay. Take a deep breath..."

But Shelby didn't listen. She just kept on going with her rambling.

"She's been through so much. And she's so frightened. And she's so hurt but for some reason, some unknown reason, she trusts _us_. Baby...what if my daughter has gone through something so horrible?!" she wept harder and Cassie placed soft kisses to her temple to try to calm her. "It would be—all my—fault that this—horrible thing—happened. All my—fault. All—mine."

"Shelby, Shelby, honey," Cassie turned Shelby around to face her, holding her face firmly in her hands. "I need you to calm down, Shelby, okay? Shelby..."

Shelby was shaking her head back and forth. "My fault, Cassie it's all my fault—"

She'd hardly actually done her grieving all day. Cassandra supposed now would have to be her time to do so. The blonde bit her lip and tried desperately to hold back tears of her own. She hated that Shelby always placed all of the blame on herself. As if every little imperfection made her life meaningless. Why couldn't she understand that it wasn't her fault? There was nothing she could've done. Her life is not meaningless. She is so very important and special and wonderful…

"Shh, Shelby, nothing's your fault." she tried to reason with the brunette though she knew it would be pointless.

"My fault. If I hadn't gotten pregnant. If I'd just listened to begin with. If I'd won the battle against my parents...all my fault..."

"Baby, it's not your fault. It's theirs, it's all theirs. I'm sure your daughter is lovely. Sweetheart, she's safe right now, okay? In a warm bed somewhere, with people who love her dearly. She is okay. I'm sure of it. You've done nothing wrong, my love, nothing."

"Cassie..." Shelby practically whispered out a moan. She tried to fix her breathing pattern. It didn't work. Cass held her tighter, placing more kisses at her temple.

"I love you." she whispered. "I love you, I love you, I love you so, so very much and so does your daughter, and now so does Rachel." Cassie neglected to mention that she had an idea that Rachel actually COULD be Shelby's daughter—Shelby was going through a lot right now.

What the blonde didn't know, was that Shelby had been hoping the same thing, all day. She had even been considering the fact that it might be true. But she didn't want to get her hopes up. Especially not over something so against the odds.

"I love you, too." After a while, Shelby's hyperventilating breaths had started to slow as she relaxed in Cassie's arms. Her tears stopped flowing so rapidly down her cheeks and soon she felt as if not only did she not want to cry anymore, (she had to start working back up her "hard ass" strength—especially with the concert so close and the kids so unprepared) but she didn't feel that it was physically possible for her to cry anymore. She was all cried out. Her tears were gone.

After about twenty minutes of commemorative silence, Shelby spoke again.

"I suppose tomorrow we're going to have to call Holly to start getting this situation figured out, huh?" It wasn't something she wanted to do, but Shelby and Cassandra both knew that what they'd done that day—keeping Rachel and not telling authorities or anybody that they'd found her—was very illegal. Their best friend Holly was a lawyer, and she was good at getting people out of tough situations. Besides that, she'd be the only one who would know what to do, without having to send Rachel back to the horrible people she'd been with before.

Cassandra nodded in agreement. "We shouldn't have kept it from her this long, even. You know how mad she's going to be, don't you?"

"Let her be mad." Shelby sighed, pulling herself up so that Cassandra was on her back and she was laying on top of her, their stomach's touching and face close, with Shelby's body resting comfortably between her wife's legs. "She'll help us and she'll get over her anger. She always does. Rachel needed us today. It was the first day of knowing each other. She has to be able to trust us before she'll be willing to work on this with us, right?"

Leaning forward, Cassandra placed a soft kiss to Shelby's lips. "Right. Holly will understand, and maybe she'll be able to figure out how to help us. But we also need to figure out what we want out of this, otherwise she won't be able to do anything to help. So…what do we want?"

Shelby bit her lip and looked up at Cassie with wide, loving, imploring eyes. "Sweetheart, she's already captured my emotions and made them vulnerable towards her. I don't want her to ever have to go through anything she's gone through again, and she somehow seems so comfortable with us…I think, and I know this may sound rushed, but I think I want to keep her. Here, with us. I think I want us to adopt her."

Cassandra smiled softly and placed another kiss to Shelby's lips. "I think I want the same, love. She's just so special. So fragile and hurt and like you said, she can't go through that again. She trusts us. She wants to stay with us. I mean, damn, she made her Christmas wish for us to be her mommies."

"So, it's settled then? Are we going to try to make her wish come true?" Shelby asked at a whisper. Finally, her life seemed like it was starting to settle into place—into the way things should be.

With a nod, Cass kissed Shelby more passionately. The brunette kissed back once, twice, three times. "We're going to be Rachel's mommies." She responded.

Moaning softly, Shelby pulled up and pressed more firmly against her wife, Cassandra's hips tightening around her as the blondes hands sneaked up the back of her camisole. The dancer's nails traced light patterns as their kisses grew hungrier—in need of more contact. It had been a long, stressful day, and together, they were going to feed their emotions and relax.

Their talk had turned into a time of intimacy and soft caresses.

"I love you," Cassandra whispered, zealously.

"I love you too," was the response she got.

Together, they would figure everything out. Things would be set right, and they would all be a family. Rachel's wish was going to come true.

. . .

_Bastard Sinner of pervert homosexuals," the Reverend screamed as he whipped Rachel's back. "Children pay for the sins of their fathers." The Reverend spoke as he beat her back once more. "This is for your own good. God forgives when you repent from the wickedness you were born into."_

_Little Rachel did not understand a thing Reverend said. She only understood the belt that kept landing on her back. He would not stop till she was bleeding. He would not quit if she begged him to stop. He would only beat her harder._

_"__Say it, say it bastard girl," Reverend bent down in her face and balled up his fist. His arm drew back to hit her._

_"__Dear God, forgive my sins. I repent, I repent I repent," Rachel's soft high voice waivered as the Reverend started to beat her again. Her back was on fire. She was praying on a floor of her own blood._

_"__I repent!" the little brunette screamed._

_Rachel sat up in the canopy bed with a start. _

_"__I am a sinner a bastard sinner of perverts, I am a bastard sinner of perverts, I am a bastard sinner of perverts," Rachel found herself repeating the mantra she had been forced to say night after night._

She fell out of bed and thudded to her knees.

"Bastard of Perverts, bastard of perverts, I repent!" Rachel sobbed, putting her face on the floor, bent down like she was praying like Reverend had taught her. She had run away. He was not here in this house. But he was with her in her dreams. She was with Shelby and Cassie but still Reverend was here.

_He is in this room. He is in the corner. He is staring at me_, Rachel's imagination became reality. She could see his eyes. She was so afraid.

Rachel scrambled back into the bed and burrowed her head and body in the blankets. Rachel told herself that the blankets were a big safe tent. But it was not working. She could hear their voices. She could hear Shelby and Cass talking in their shut bedroom across the hall.

_He can't get me. He can't get me. He can't get me, _Rachel tried to tell herself_. He can't see me under the blankets. _

_I am supposed to have a mommy to call when I have a bad dream,_ Rachel thought, very frightened. _But Santa gave me Shelby and Cassie._

"Shelby, Cassie, Shelby, Cassie, Rev, Reverend, his eyes, he's under the bed," Rachel screamed at the top of her lungs. She wanted comfort and she wanted it now. "Shelby, Casssssssiiiiiieeeeee!"

Shelby and Cassandra seemed to be moving in tandem. Both women rolled from both sides of their shared bed. Both reached quickly to clothe themselves, Shelby moving just a little faster than her wife.

Rachel's frightened call for her made Shelby feel something she had not quite felt before and it caused her to move hurriedly to put on panties and her pajamas. The brunette singer looked over at her lover who was dressing just as quickly in her own camisole and silk sleep shorts. With Shelby being the one closest to the door, she stepped out into the hall first. The blonde stopped in the hall and waited for her wife. They both had been called and would go into the room together.

Cassie reached back her arm and grabbed Shelby's hand. The dancer felt good about not only talking about Shelby's feelings, but also about Rachel and Holly. She also felt it had been just as important that they had expressed their love with the physical intimacy. Both had desperately needed the connection to one another—their bond was strengthened. Each felt stronger as individuals and as a couple. United and as life partners, they would go to Rachel together.

Cassie turned the door handle to the guest room that they would now call Rachel's, opened the door, and then held it open for Shelby. From the light in the hallway, they could see Rachel shivering under the covers, still calling their names.

"Shelbyyyyyyyyyy, Cassssssssssiiieee," Rachel continued to scream as she cowered under the covers. She could feel him touching her with his cold hands. He was under the bed. He was going to reach up and grab her. Reverend was in the closet. He was going run out of it and beat her.

"I don't want to. No don't. Leave me alone," the young girl hiccupped trying to catch her breath pleading with a specter of the man who had been her hell for the last three years.

"It hurts. Please don't make me. Please don't make me, Please don't," Rachel babbled. She curled her body into itself to protect herself the best she could.

_They aren't coming,_ Rachel realized. _They aren't coming. They aren't coming. They aren't coming. _

Rachel cringed when the bedroom door opened.

_It's the Reverend, he heard me and has come to take me away,_ Rachel's panicked imagination was running wild. The young girl clutched at the bed sheet desperately so it would be harder for him to pull her out of bed.

"Shellllbbyyyyyy, Cassssieee," Rachel screamed at the top of her lungs as the door opened. "Don't let him touch me. Don't let him take me"

The click of the hall light being turned on did nothing to ease her fear. What did, however, was the dip of someone sitting down on the mattress and the gentle rubbing of her back.

And then she heard it. She heard humming. The bed dipped again on the other side.

Then a voice spoke, "Rachel honey are you ok? We heard you calling us…" Rachel realized that was Cassie's voice. That meant that it was Shelby that was humming and rubbing her back.

"He, He, He's under the bed or either in the closet, I know where but he is," Rachel hiccupped as she cried. "He is going to hurt me again with his cold hands then take me away."

Cassie said nothing but went across the room and turned on the room's overhead light.

She was well aware that darkness and fear could cause one's imagination to run wild; especially for scared little girls.

"Let me check, Rachel," Cassie told the scared little girl who was still cowering in the blankets. She walked to the closet and turned on the light. "Nope, not in here. Do you want me to look under the bed? Who am I looking for honey?"

"The, the Reverend. He was here. He, He, He. Please check under the bed too, Cassie?" Rachel asked, still refusing to come out but trusting that Cassie would tell her the truth. She would believe what Cassie said.

Shelby reached into the sheets and blankets and let her hand travel up and down the length of Rachel's spine. She was so skinny and small and her whole body shook with fear. The older brunette did not want to pull Rachel out of the covers. She had a feeling that she had been wrenched out of her bed and put through god knows what for a long time. So instead, she decided to join Rachel.

Shelby opened the covers wide and crawled in beside Rachel. Cassie appeared back on the mattress and lifted the covers high for the two brunettes making a small tent. The older brunette slid up so their bodies touched and wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist. The whole time she continued to hum.

"Sh-sh-sh-sh-Shelby," Rachel finally got out. She only stuttered when she was very upset. "Don't let him get me. Please, Please, I, I, I, I, I, just want you and Cassie. Santa gave me you as my mommies. God was a liar and took my mother away. I don't know where she is or why she threw me out. My daddies were bad and the police took me away. They gave me to the Reverend who was worse. But Santa gave me you, please tell me it was not only for one night. That was what I wished for when I blew out my candle on the cupcakes. I asked for you and Cassie to like me and want me."

"We adore you, sweetheart." Shelby promised her. "We want to try to keep you. We truly, truly would love to be your mommies." She decided the only way to comfort the young girl was to tell her that she was wanted—that she was loved, and that they weren't going to let the Reverend or her dads anywhere near her again. "We won't let him hurt you. We won't. We won't."

She scooped the little girl up into her arms and got out of the bed, Cassie with them, and they walked towards the master bedroom, shutting the light to Rachel's bedroom off behind them. Shelby and Rachel stood in the doorway, Rachel still cowering into Shelby's neck while Cassie hurriedly changed the bedding to something warmer and cleaner, after which they all climbed into the master bed and huddled together under the comforter.

Rachel sandwiched herself between the two adults, feeling safe between them. Feeling and trusting that they would never let anyone hurt her again.


	11. Lawyers and Princesses

**It is such a privilege not only to write this amazing story with hayleynymphadora, but also to share it with all of you.**

**Thanks to those of you who are reading, following and have**

**sent in reviews. I have been truly moved to see the reviews**

**sent. Some of those reviews were sent by authors who I**

**admire and have written some amazing stories. Thanks**

**very very much for reading and feeding our muse!**

**- Keeperofwords**

**I completely agree with everything that my good friend and co author Keeperofwords has written. I am so proud to be working on this story and so honored that she's asked me to write it with her. I feel that both of us have grown as authors and your reviews make us both so very happy and give us life and inspiration to keep writing every day. Even if we are really busy, we take the time to write little tidbits throughout the week and somehow manage to come up with these extra long chapters that you all seem to enjoy so much. We thank you so much for your continued support and enthusiasm.**

**We don't own Frosty the Snowman, or stories of princesses, or Glee, but we're very glad and happy to be changing the story line around a bit and having some fun with it. We simply play in the toy box that these writers have already created for us.**

**We also would like to apologize-a few chapters before (The one that mentioned that it was December 16th) said that their concert would be in three days, but we realized how unrealistic that was, with the 18th having been the day before the concert. Therefore, we've changed the concert date to the 21st, giving them two days as of this chapter (and the next, which will be considered the 19th) for rehearsals.**

**On another note, (I know this intro is very long but i'm hoping the 19 page following chapter makes up for it) this story will become somewhat of a The Fosters crossover as more characters are introduced as friends and helpers and what-not. They will not be main characters but they will be a part of the story line (Like how we're introducing Holly). However, on the show The Fosters, they live in California, and in our AU for this story, they live in Lima, Ohio. (Or perhaps Akron...that's undecided).**

**Anyways, we just wanted to thank you and help you be aware of what will be going on throughout the story.**

**Thank you so much, again. Your reviews are inspiring and beautiful.**

**Love always, Hayley**

**Chapter 11: Lawyers and Princesses**

Rachel was sure that this was just a dream. It was too good to be true. The little girl kept her eyes closed and stretched out her hands. She felt two warm bodies on either side of her. Her fingers felt the silk of their sleepwear and the very recognizable female curves. These were mommies. Rachel just knew it. She was in bed with her mommies. Even though she could not say it out loud to them yet. Rachel was scared if she said it that it would not come true. The little girl believed it more when Shelby and Cassie said it to her. Rachel patted the soft but firm stomachs of both women and smiled. She did not want to open her eyes. She liked the idea of feeling safe in bed, for once.

_"__We want to try to keep you. We would truly, truly love to be your mommies,"_

Rachel smiled. She did want to wake up after all.

_Keepers._ They were keepers. She wanted to keep them too, Rachel decided with a smile, blinking her eyes open. She blinked her eyes open, very happy that the moon was full. She could see through the large bay window. Light shown down on Shelby; she was so pretty and seemed so much more peaceful than the other night when she was in here. Shelby was her safety. That is how it felt to Rachel.

Rachel then looked over at Cassie. Her hair was as blonde as Shelby's was brown. She had long eye lashes and long legs. She had seemed scary at first, but Rachel had seen that she was not really. She was fun and gentle and kind. Cassie was her protector. That is how Rachel saw Cassie.

Rachel patted Cassie's stomach again. A very light sleeper, the dancer's eyes fluttered open.

"Rach? Are you okay, sweetheart? Did you have another bad dream?" the blonde whispered, sleepily turning on her side towards the little girl and playing with that impossibly long brown hair.

"Nope, just thinking Cassie. I decided that we are keepers. You're gonna keep me, and I am going to keep you back. It's so perfect. I can't sleep?" Rachel shared yawning as she shared with the blonde. "I touched you to prove to myself that this was real and not just something I made up."

"It is real, sweetie, and it's okay that you touched me," Cassie told Rachel, still playing with her hair in a way she often did with Shelby when she woke up during the night wanted to talk. It was so uncanny how alike the two brunettes looked. It was totally impulsive and idiotic on her part, but she was going to see if Holly would do a DNA test on Rachel. She just had this feeling in the back of her mind, and logic did not brush it aside, that Shelby's long lost daughter was Rachel.

"Rachel? Are you alright, honey?" a voice on the other side of the bed asked the little girl. Shelby's voice drew Rachel in like nothing she'd ever felt before. Now that she was opening her heart, Rachel could not get enough of Shelby's arms around her. When Shelby said her name, it just felt right. It felt so motherly. So different from what the little girl was used to.

"Shelby, I want to keep you forever just like you want to try to keep me. I just told Cassie that we three are keepers. We are supposed to keep each other. Santa decided that and I am so glad," Rachel told Shelby, sliding nearer to the brunette and turning her body into the singers. Instinctively, she snuggled into Shelby's chest and yawned when arms wrapped around her.

"We are in this together," Shelby whispered to Rachel, looking at Cassie as she spoke and mouthing an "I Love You." Cassie puckered her lips and sent her wife a kiss.

"Not sure what we will have to do to make it happen, but we will be with you every step of the way." Cassie added, rubbing Rachel's back, trying to soothe the girl back to sleep so that hopefully the three of them could sleep a little longer. Tomorrow would be a long day of rehearsing for the Winter Concert and talking to Holly about getting things started to bring Rachel into their home permanently.

"Shelby, your heartbeat is making me sleepy," Rachel yawned, soaking up the comfort. "It sounds just like I imagined a mommy's heartbeat would sound. "

"Go to sleep Rachel. You are safe," Shelby crooned, smiling and closing her eyes as Rachel drifted back off. Cassie scooted even closer than before and wrapped her arms around both brunettes.

_Rachel is right,_ Cassie thought herself as she drifted off. _We three were not only finders. We are keepers._

. . .

The alarm to start the day went off at 6:30. Shelby went to turn on her side to shut off the offensive noise, but found herself effectively pinned. It took the brunette a good fifteen seconds to realize the she had Rachel firmly planted literally on top of her. The little girl had her head tucked under her chin with her body molded on the singer's soft curves.

The brunette smiled softly when the little girl murmured a soft "Hush. Sleeping. Keepers."

The dancer grumbled as well, but turned over on her side in the opposite direction.

Shelby merely rolled her eyes at her bed partners. It seemed neither were early risers. Before reaching out, careful not to disturb Rachel, she shut off the alarm. Rachel sighed and Shelby's heart skipped a beat as Rachel rubbed her cheek in the soft silk of Shelby's pajama top and clutched at it passively. She felt so motherly and needed. It was something she'd longed for ever since December 18th, nine years ago.

_Oh, this one is going to give Cassie a run for her money on morning snuggles,_ Shelby thought to herself. Shelby had wondered, when she woke up on December 19th, whether she would feel different about her decision to get custody of Rachel. The singer wondered if she would chalk her decision as being emotional and blinded by rationality due to her grief.

But now, at the dawn of a new day, Shelby felt all the more enchanted with this mini version of herself. In fact, despite how busy the day promised to be, she was content to lay here for a few minutes than she normally would, so she could lie here with Rachel's head pillowed on her chest and Cassie's back and behind tucked to her side.

By fifteen after the hour, Shelby knew she had to get a move on. _Coffee, call Holly, a day of rehearsals for the Winter Concert and see about getting Rachel some clothes._ The girl could not continue to wear Shelby and Cassie's clothes indefinitely. Shelby moved ever so slightly to turn on her side to lower Rachel to the mattress. But when the singer prepared to move her arms away, Rachel's eyes flew open.

"Don't go Shelby," Rachel complained, pouting out her little lip as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes. "Hold Me."

To say that Shelby was astonished was an understatement. It seemed that after only a full day with them, Rachel had opened her shell enough to ask for the tactile comfort she obviously had never gotten before. Rachel could have easily turned over and scooted onto Cassie, but the little girl had chosen Shelby on this morning.

"We have to start our day today, sweetie. We have a day of rehearsals and practice with our students for their Winter Show, and we are also going to see what Cass and I can do to make the three of us "Keepers"," Shelby kept her voice soft so she would not disturb her still snoozing wife. "And that means, sweetheart that you need to be very brave. Cassie and I want to be your mommies very much and that means telling people you are with us."

"I…I don't want to be away from you, not for a minute," Rachel confessed.

"And I don't want to be away from you either, not even for a minute," Shelby told Rachel, sitting up and noticing right away that Rachel had decided to hang onto her like a Koala Bear. "And Cass and I have a very, very good friend who is going to come by and help us with that ok?"

"Ok," Rachel said, simply deciding she would trust Shelby on this. "Can I come with you now, Shelby?"

"Sure Sweetie, let me go to the bathroom then you go too, and then we will go downstairs and start some coffee." Shelby told Rachel, glad that the troubled child had more or less accepted that they would have to contact the authorities today. Shelby decided it was easier for Rachel to handle knowing that she was wanted and that she and Cassandra wanted to be Rachel's Mommies.

_You hold me so things aren't ever scary and then Cassie protects me,_ Rachel thought to herself as Shelby made her way into the bathroom. Rachel found herself snuggling up to Cassie's back and pretending they were spoons stacked together. Rachel heard the toilet flush and the sound of running water. When the bathroom door opened, Rachel scrambled out of bed and took her turn.

With Rachel in the bathroom, Shelby bent down and kissed first Cassie's ear and then the side of her neck. Cassie stretched allowing her wife better access. The blonde's hands slipped out of the covers and pulled Shelby back on top of the bed for a long kiss. This was the way the pair often woke up in the morning. Sweet kisses that sometimes were just cuddles and sometimes the touches led to something more.

"Morning," Cassie said, being the first to pull away and look into her wife's eyes. "How are you, Baby? Rach took first dibs on my Shelby pillow again this morning." She noted.

"Better than yesterday." Shelby reassured. "You know it stays in the back of mind…especially around the holidays…but I don't feel overwhelmed. Rachel has helped me feel useful and is so open to any and all attention, so I can direct my pang of not caring for my lost daughter to a little girl who needs us right now," Shelby told Cassie.

"Holly should be up. I'll call her in a bit and give her a brief idea of the situation and our intentions," Cassie told Shelby, hearing the toilet flush in the bathroom signaling that Rachel would be out soon. "And you did wonderful explaining Holly coming over to Rachel."

"Thank you," Shelby told Cassie, bending down to give her wife another passionate kiss before moving to her other ear and nuzzling it. "Ask Holly to get Rachel some clothes."

"Shelby!" Rachel came out with her hands on her hips. "You told me we had to get up and you and Cassie went back to bed." The young brunette watched the pair as they shared another sweet kiss. Rachel was not used to such displays of affection all the time.

It did not bother her exactly though. The girl just figured this was how good mommies acted towards each other.

Rachel looked over at the window and stared out it. It was snowing again! Rachel loved to watch it snow.

"Cassie, Shelby, look it's snowing! Look how big the flakes are!" Rachel exclaimed, running back to the bed. Rachel noticed Shelby had put on a robe and Cassie was sitting up, fumbling with her phone.

"Come on Rach," Shelby told the young girl, taking Rachel's hands so they could make their way down to the kitchen. "Let's start the coffee and I will let YOU feed Barbra her breakfast."

They made it down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Shelby started to get things together. Cassie, meanwhile, was extremely tired and fell back asleep.

"What's that stuff?" Rachel asked innocently as Shelby opened the coffee can and scooped out some coffee to start the machine. "That stuff in the can. It smell's good."

Shelby was used to this time of the morning being here quiet time. She watched the world awaken and gathered herself for whatever her day had to bring. This morning this time was shared with a little girl. But that was okay. Rachel's inquisitive nature and how she soaked up learning new things and all attention given to her was refreshing.

"It's the coffee. There are a lot of different kinds of coffee, but Cass and I like to drink regular coffee to start the day." Shelby said indulgently. She liked Rachel's curiosity.

Barbra rubbed at Shelby's legs and yowled for her breakfast. Rachel dropped to her knees to try to pet her feline friend. However, Barbra was totally uninterested in Rachel's affection. The Siamese wanted food not stroking.

"If you go and pick her bowl up off of her pet mat on the floor, you can feed her," Shelby told the little brunette.

"Really?" Rachel crawled over and picked up the bowl, setting it on the counter by Shelby.

Shelby knew it was taking twice as long to open the cat food container and hand it to Rachel, but the girl wanted to help.

"Put half of the can in the bowl and smash it down with this fork," Shelby instructed in her teaching voice. The singer smiled as Rachel did as instructed. Barbra had moved to rub on Rachel's legs now. The cat was no fool. She knew who was holding her bowl.

Shelby smiled as the young girl carefully followed her instructions and sat the dish on the pet placemat. The dancer reached over and threaded her hair through Rachel's hair like it was the most natural thing in the world for them to do. The tentative smile that her tiny twin gave her lifted her spirits probably more than the coffee she was making would.

"I love the smell of coffee. I just did not know what it was called," Rachel told Shelby, looking up at her with big brown eyes. "I tried part of a cup of it that someone handed me when I was singing in front of the grocery store, right before I found your house. It was cold outside and the man said it would warm me up."

Shelby found herself frowning. Not only was Rachel out busking, but she had taken something to drink from a stranger. It could have had anything in it. Rachel was a survivor, but seemed at the same time, really innocent. The little girl had no idea how dangerous that had been. Shelby was going to make sure she never had to do that again to stay warm or to eat. But that was a discussion for another time. For now, she rubbed Rachel's back. Rachel responded by leaning into her.

"Little girls don't need coffee anyway, Rach," Shelby told the brunette. "Adults drink too much of it sometimes, too. Want some milk sweetie?"

"Will you put it in a coffee cup like you are going to use for Cassie and your coffee?" Rachel asked, wanting to do what the dancer and singer did.

"Sure thing, sweetie. Have a seat at the table. I want to talk to you about what's going to be going on here at the Mansion today," Shelby told Rachel, opening the cabinet, pulling out a cup, and pouring some milk. The singer made a mental note to get some skim milk instead of the whole milk that she and Cass used in their coffee. The little girl needed the nutrition without the fat content. Cass and she never had time to grocery shop; they ordered it online and had it delivered. Shelby promised herself that today at lunch break she would order some groceries that were more suited to a growing little girl's lifestyle.

"What's that, Shelby? You got classes today at your school?" Rachel guessed, taking a long swallow of milk. Barbra jumped on the table to check to see if the little girl had more food. A quick snap of Shelby's fingers and the Siamese was back on the floor again.

"We do have classes coming today. Our classes are practicing for their big performance at the Winter Concert that is 2 days away. So Cass and I will be very busy for most of the day," Shelby explained, noticing that the coffee was about ready.

"That's okay, I can go to the attic and listen like I was before," Rachel told the singer, suddenly looking only at her milk in the cup. She really did not want to go to the attic, she wanted to better look and be near the women that said they wanted to be her "mommies".

"No, Rachel. I don't want you to go back in the attic. I just wanted you to know that people would be here so you would not be surprised," Shelby explained, bending down on one knee so that she could look the girl in the eyes. "In fact, I was hoping you would sit beside me and sing along."

"Really?" Rachel asked. She liked that idea a lot.

"Sure, sweetie," Shelby told her little twin, giving her a soft smile. "And Cassie might like for you to watch her groups dance. You may have to sit in the corner though, because her kids take up a lot of room."

"That's okay. I am pretty good at curling up in a corner. Or I can sit under the piano," Rachel assured. "I won't get in the way, or talk or anything bad."

"I know you won't sweetie, and I want you to know that we are not keeping secrets anymore. No hiding, ok?" Shelby spoke softly, hoping Rachel understood what she was trying to get across. The singer decided she needed to elaborate. "Rachel, Cassie and I want you. We won't hide you away. We are proud to have you with us."

"Really? Nobody has ever been proud of me before. Are you sure? Are you really sure? You barely know me." Rachel told the woman that she wanted to gain approval of so badly.

"I am very sure," Shelby told Rachel, wrapping her in a big hug and kissing the top of her head to emphasize it to the little brunette. "Now, carry your cup carefully and I will get Cassie's and mine and we will make sure that Cassie is up. Knowing her, she fell back asleep again."

"Ok, Shelby and if she isn't I give you permission to kiss her awake like the prince kisses the sleeping princess," Rachel told Shelby.

Shelby decided she was going to do just that.

Shelby opened the door quietly and peered in. Cassandra had indeed gone back to sleep. Rachel was not going to be satisfied with Shelby just kicking the bed, saying get up and handing her wife a cup of coffee. Particularly when Shelby could hear Rachel already giggling in excitement. Shelby put the cups of coffee on the dresser then stepped back out into the hall. She put her finger to her lips to hush Rachel's giggles.

"Well, sleeping beauty is asleep. I'm no prince but a princess too so I am not really sure how we go about this Rach," Shelby told her tiny twin. Rachel was just so tiny. She may be nine but she honestly looked no bigger and developed than a six year old.

"Well, you see, you have to dance around a little and sing and then spin and lean down really carefully and kiss her right on the lips," Rachel explained then took a big slurp of milk from her coffee cup leaving a big milk mustache.

"Well, I don't know if I can do the steps right. I am sure I can get the kiss down pat," Shelby smiled caressing Rachel's cheek then wiping off the milk mustache with her thumb. "You might just have to do show me how to get over to Sleeping Beauty. I will do what you do."

"Ok, we are both princesses see and the mean grouchy troll put Princess Cassie to sleep with a powerful spell..." Rachel explained her what was happening in vivid detail.

It did not take but a moment for Shelby to realize that Rachel was playing. The singer's heart beat an extra beat at the knowledge that this child wanted her to play with her. She had taught children but never just had fun pretending just for the sake of playing. She had never wanted to. She had told herself that it served no purpose and was a waste of time when you could be teaching and molding the next generation. But maybe she had been wrong.

"So you see Shelby. The troll put powerful spell on princess Cassie and you have to do the dance just right," Rachel's voice turned sort of sing song. She handed Shelby her cup of milk and did a tiny dance in her bare feet. "It's got to be perfect. Did you see so you can do it perfect so you can wake your princess?"

I don't have time for this, Shelby's mind tried to reason.

I need to make the time to do this, Shelby mused back to the side of reason.

"Well Rach that is something else. I think I might be handle it IF you do it in front of me first," Shelby told Rachel opening the bedroom door again. Shelby sat Rachel's milk down by the two cups of coffee and got in line behind Rachel back in the hallway. A quick glance at Cassie told her that the blonde had heard the whole conversation and now was "pretending" to be asleep.

"Ok Shelby, I will go real slow so you can do the steps right. Then I hop on the bed and you go around me and kiss her." Rachel looked back and told Shelby her hands on her hips.

"I think I got it sweetheart. I'm ready when you are," Shelby replied back copying Rachel putting her own hands on her hips and giving her butt a little swish.

Rachel did two quick steps, hopped on one foot, turned around on one foot and then leapt for the bed. Shelby copied Rachel's actions step by step. The brunette bit back a laugh because she could see Cassie was about to burst out laughing. To her credit, Cassie held it together. The dancer even sobered up and fell into a dramatic pose of sleep as Rachel jumped on the bed.

"Do it, Do it Shelby. Kiss your princess. Just remember it has to be on the lips and it's got to real gentle. Not hard and hurting like Reverend," Rachel cheered Shelby on. Shelby and Cassie both filed away yet another thing in their minds that hinted that Rachel had experienced some sexual abuse. Rachel was un-phased by her admission and was focused on playing. Therefore, Shelby and Cassie ignored the statement and played along too.

Shelby pushed her brown hair over to one shoulder and leaned down. She hovered for a long moment over Cassie's face. It was a bit to long for Rachel.

"Like this Shelby. Only do it on the lips," Rachel told Shelby as she literally climbed up the dancer's body and kissed her cheek. Shelby waited patiently till Rachel sat up on Cassie's hard stomach before leaning down and giving her wife a gentle long kiss. Emerald green eyes blinked open with a dramatic batting of eye lashes followed by a wide stretch of her arms that almost dislodged Rachel from Cass's stomach.

"You have woken me from the spell of the evil troll Princess Shelby and Princess Rachel," Cassandra said dramatically easily getting into character despite her had not had her morning coffee. "Now we will live happily ever after."

A new day was dawning and each would do all they could do for their happy ending together.

. . .

Shelby could hear Rachel singing in the bathroom with her, while she was showering. It was sort of strange having a small child playing in the bathroom while she showered. It had been important to get their day in gear so they would be prepared for their first class. There were three of them now that needed to shower this morning. Cassie was on the phone with Holly, so Shelby could not very well leave Rachel to hear that conversation. Thus why Rachel was in the bathroom with her at this time.

Being on Broadway, Shelby was used to dressing and undressing with all kinds of men and women running around. She had long ago lost her sense of modesty. So Shelby had sat Rachel down on the toilet, telling her to wait and that she would be next.

_"__Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul_

_With a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal."_

Shelby could not help but smile as she heard the little soprano voice belt out the Christmas song. The kid had some lungs and it echoed in the bathroom. Shelby wondered if Cass had to step out of the bedroom to hear Holly.

"Shelby? Shelby, I am drawing a snowman on the mirror, kay?" Rachel told the older blonde who now was washing her hair.

When Shelby did not immediately respond, Rachel spoke up again, "Did you hear me Shelby? You want to see what I drew?"

"I hear you, Rachel," Shelby told the little girl who was singing and chattering in the bathroom happily while Shelby shaved her legs. "I can't look quite yet. I am sure it is very pretty."

"_Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,_

_He was made of snow but the children_

_Know how he came to life one day._

_There must have been some magic in that_

_Old silk hat they found._

_For when they placed it on his head_

_He began to dance around."_

Rachel took her finger and finished her snowman, adding a hat and some snowflakes.

_"__Frosty the Snowman,_

_Was alive as he could be,_

_And the children say he could laugh_

_And play just the same as you and me._

_Thumpetty thump thump,_

_Thumpety thump thump,_

_Look at Frosty go._

_Thumpetty thump thump,_

_Thumpety thump thump,_

_Over the hills of snow."_

"Shelby? Shelby? You are taking a loooooong time. Can you look at my picture now?" Rachel asked, trying to be patient but it was hard. The little girl could not for the life of her understand why she had to wait to have a shower.

"Why don't you tell me what you drew?" Shelby was glad she had already had some coffee. The singer tried to redirect Rachel's thoughts by getting her to talk about her picture. Shelby finished one leg and was now starting the other. The older brunette had no idea why she had never sprung for laser hair removal, but she had always been busy either rehearsing or doing a show, and now running her school. Cassie so loved her smooth skin, though, so she did this every day. Rachel, however, had no understanding for what takes a woman so long in the shower.

"Oh. It's a snowman like Frosty 'cause it's snowing outside. I put a scarf on his neck and a hat too," Rachel explained, starting another verse.

_"__Frosty the snowman knew_

_The sun was hot that day,_

_So he said, "Let's run and_

_We'll have some fun_

_Now before I melt away."_

_Down to the village,_

_With a broomstick in his hand,_

_Running here and there all_

_Around the square saying,_

_Catch me if you can."_

"Do you like my singing Shelby? It sounds so loud in here? Do you ever sing in here?" Rachel asked, adding another snowflake to her mirror picture.

"You sing beautifully, Rachel, and yes you have a really loud voice but that's good for a singer to have so EVERYONE can hear you, and sweetie I am sure Cassie and even her friend on the phone can hear you." Shelby told the little girl, talking to her. Shelby picked up her sponge to start scrubbing her body.

"Then I will keep singing for you is that ok, Shelby?" Rachel asked for approval then opened her mouth again to sing as loud as she could.

_ "__He led them down the streets of town_

_Right to the traffic cop._

_And he only paused a moment when_

_He heard him holler "Stop!"_

_For Frosty the snow man_

_Had to hurry on his way,_

_But he waved goodbye saying,_

_"Don't you cry,_

_I'll be back again some day."_

_Thumpetty thump thump,_

_Thumpety thump thump,_

_Look at Frosty go._

_Thumpetty thump thump,_

_Thumpety thump thump,_

_Over the hills of snow."_

Shelby could only smile as she listened to Rachel sing. She heard singing from young people all day. She had worked with the most talented, practiced children in the world, but none hand made her heart melt like hearing this little girl singing to her on the other side of the curtain.

"Bravo, Bravo," Shelby said on the other side of the shower making a point to clap her hands.

"What does bravo mean, Shelby?" Rachel asked curiously, coming to stand closer to the shower and moving the curtain, sticking her finger into the water spray with a happy smile on her face.

Shelby pushed her sponge against the little girl's hand, pushing Rachel's hand and arm outside the shower curtain. Only after she did so did Shelby speak.

"It means well done. I liked it," Shelby explained, ignoring the tiny sigh. The little girl wanted in the shower with her so badly. She didn't understand why she couldn't be in there. But Shelby could not get her shower routine completed with Rachel in there with her and they were on a time crunch.

"Rachel, sweetheart, I know you want in the shower but I need to finish in here first and then it will be your turn. We are taking turns," Shelby explained in her most patient voice she used when she was explaining something to a student who was having a hard time grasping a concept.

"But, but, Cassie does not have to take turns. So why can't I come in, too?" Rachel exclaimed, not in an angry voice but as a very curious little girl. "And I am a whole lot smaller than she is. I take up less room."

Shelby's mouth dropped open and she dropped her sponge and soap. How and what had this little girl seen and heard the past couple of days? She could feel herself blushing but then shook it off.

Shelby Corcoran was not a prude and was proud of the loving, active love life she shared with Cassie.

Had Rachel heard or seen something in the shower? Shelby asked herself then realized she really did need to give Rachel an explanation and she wanted to see her face. The brunette was finished anyway, so she shut off the water and reached for a towel before opening the shower curtain.

_Think, Think,_ Shelby coached herself, wondering how to delve into this.

"Is it because it's daylight? You and Cassie usually take showers and baths together at night. That's it right?" Rachel blinked, wanting an answer. "I could hear you from the vent upstairs that runs from the attic. You can hear a lot up there."

_Rescue me out of this Cassandra July,_ Shelby wished to herself. The brunette wrapped a separate towel around her head and bent down to look at Rachel.

. . .

While her wife and new little house guest had stepped into the bathroom, Cassie pressed the speed dial for Holly on her phone and put her phone up to her ear, biting her lip tentatively. She knew she had a lot to try to explain in a short amount of time, and she knew that Holly was not going to be very happy that they'd waited so long to call.

The other blonde answered almost immediately after her phone started ringing. "Cass," she didn't even say hi, just got straight to the point, her voice sounded slightly surprised but excited to see that her best friend was calling.

"Hey, Hol. Shelby and I need your help."

Cassandra's voice must have seemed a bit distressed-sounding, for Holly's tone grew slightly harder. "What did you two do? Are you okay? They can't arrest you until I get there-"

Rolling her eyes upon automatically being accused, Cassandra crossed her arms. "Why do you always just assume that I did something?" she demanded of Holly.

Though Cassandra couldn't see it, Holly shrugged. "I've known you for a long time, Cass. I know how you are."

"This is important, Hol." Cass switched ears and smirked to herself as she heard Rachel singing "Frosty the Snowman" very loudly in the bathroom. She shook her head and walked out to the hallway so she could hear better. "I'm not sure how to start explaining it, though."

"Well we don't have all day, sweet cheeks..." Holly prompted her.

"Okay." Cass took a shaky breath. She was afraid that Holly wouldn't know how to let them keep Rachel. And they had to be able to keep Rachel. She slid her back down the wall and sat on the floor.

"We've had an interesting couple of days. We, um...a little girl has come to visit us-"

"What the hell do you mean a little-"

"Don't interrupt, just listen to the whole story. You KNOW that December 18th is an impossible day to cope with, right? Well yesterday, on exactly December 18th, a little girl was in our mansion seemingly out of nowhere. Her name is Rachel Berry, she turned nine yesterday-which is exactly how old Shelby's little girl would be. She's in the foster system, she ran away from her foster homes...they were so horrible to her, Holly..." Cassandra paused to take a breath, trying her best to hold the tears that were trying to surface back. She dry swallowed and opened her mouth to try talking again. "Her "dads" in one home constantly beat her and the second home she was in, with the Reverend...Holly he raped this poor little girl so many times…and he was so cruel to her. She'd been living in the library and busking in front of grocery stores and doing anything she could to survive and not be taken back to him. She is terrified."

"Okay." Holly stopped her before she could continue, trying to process all of this information and speaking up so that Cassandra, who seemed to be having a hard time breathing, could rest for a moment. "So as far as I can tell you want me to get her back into the system but away from the Reverend and her so called dads? Do you want me to try to get them arrested?"

Cassandra shook her head. "You didn't-didn't let me finish-" she heard Rachel's singing get louder and smiled softly to herself, her heart warming tremendously. No little girl had ever brought out the mother side of her before. No child had ever made her feel so loved and important and happy. Rachel was her daughter. She belonged to herself and to Shelby. She just knew it. "She looks just like Shelby. She can sing like an angel, just like Shelby. I know this is going to sound crazy since we've only known her for a day, but Holly...we want to keep her. And she really wants to stay here. She adores Shelby and, get this, she even loves being around me. You can't take her away from us, because I honestly don't think any of us would recover from it if you did. Besides that...I think there's a serious chance that this little girl might be Shelby's."

The best friend felt very sympathetic for Shelby and Cassie, she really did. They were her best friends and she knew how much they'd both been through with Shelby's loss of her daughter. She thought it was amazing, what they were doing with the studio and with the kids and with everything, and thought they were both absolutely incredible. However, she couldn't help but think that Cassandra's ideas of this little girl being Shelby's had to do with the fact that yesterday was a big mourning day and so much was going on at once. Although it is a huge coincidence that she looks and sings like Shelby and has the same birthday as Shelby's daughter...so maybe we'll run a DNA test, but...

"Honey, I love you both so much, you know that. But you have to know how you sound right now. Yesterday was a big day and-"

Cass knew that Holly was going to do this. "No, Hol. I know I sound like a rambling idiot right now and that you're not going to believe me until you meet her. But please, PLEASE just try to keep an open mind, and come meet her today? Shelby and I were also sort of hoping you could bring some clothes for her? She's been wearing our clothes but she swims in everything...she's so small."

"What happened to her clothes?"

"The ones she came in were all ratted up and very old. Clothes from when she had to have been about six. Holly...please. Can you please help us with this? You know I wouldn't ask for your legal help if it wasn't something that didn't mean the world to Shelby and me."

Holly nodded even if Cassie couldn't see it-a habit of hers. "I will always help the two of you, Cass. You know that. We'll figure this out, okay? I promise."

"Okay." Cassie felt much more reassured to hear Holly say those words than she'd felt for the past day and night. If they had Holly on their side...things might actually turn out right. With Holly there was no way to lose, right? She was the best lawyer they knew, and no it wasn't a biased opinion. They'd seen proof of it. "I'll see you soon? Really soon, preferably. How fast can you get here?"

"Give me 30 minutes." Holly now had the phone pressed between her ear and her neck, snapping her fingers to get the attention of her assistant and writing down the information she needed to be looked up. "Love you."

"Love you too. Holly," Cassie added as an afterthought, feeling a sense of security she hadn't felt when she's woken up.

"Yeah?" Holly paused what she was doing for a moment to listen.

"Thank you." It was so sincere that Holly was actually shocked. The relationship between she and Cassie was constant teasing banter and laughter. This way of conversing was completely new to the both of them.

Still shocked, Holly managed to get out a, "You're always welcome." before both of them hung up.

After taking a deep breath in preparation, Holly looked up at her assistant, all business. It had been a long time since Shelby and Cassie had needed her legal help, and if she could do anything at all in her power to help them, particularly when it had to do with Shelby's daughter (or possible daughter) it was going to be done. "Okay," she said to her assistant. "I need you to cancel everything I had planned today and/or postpone all of it. Shelby and Cassie are more important and they need me more than they ever have before right now. I have thirty minutes to get to the mansion so while I make some calls I need you to find me everything you can on Rachel Berry. She's a foster girl, she just turned 9 years old yesterday."

"On it." her assistant got immediately to work. Bless her soul.

_Okay, Holly Holiday. Get your ass into gear._ The first thing she did was call her sister to see if her niece had any clothes she happened to be giving away (this time of year, Holly's sister had her children all gather what they didn't want anymore, so they could give to Goodwill.). Her niece was about Rachel's size, she assumed. They were around the same age, anyways. After which she finished getting everything she knew she would need, took another deep breath, and started her car. It was going to be a long day.

. . .

Once Cassie hung up the phone with Holly, she stood up and pressed her forehead up against the back wall. They had to be able to keep Rachel. She knew that Rachel was Shelby's. It was this gut feeling that she couldn't cast away. Even, she thought to herself, if Rachel isn't Shelby's biological daughter. She's our daughter. She just is. I'll never let any harm come to that little girl ever again. She will not be taken away from us, whether Holly can help us or not. After making the silent vow, she made her way back to the bedroom and decided to check on the girls. She knocked on the bathroom door, lightly, before opening it and walking in.

"How are things going in here?" She asked. Shelby's eyes seemed to fill with relief and the brunette let out a breath she wasn't sure she was holding. Cass didn't know what had been going on in here, but apparently she'd missed something.

"Cassie," Shelby motioned for the blonde to crouch down to Rachel's height with her, so she did. "Help me explain to Rachel why you and I can take showers and baths together but Rachel and I cannot."

Raising an eyebrow, Cass regretted opening the bathroom door. "Um..." her face reddened very slightly. If Rachel knew they took showers and baths together, what else had she seen while she was in hiding? "Well, Shelby and I are married, Rachel." she looked the little brunette in the eyes very cautiously. "And sometimes people who are married get to do things that people who aren't married get to do. Does that make sense?"

"But I love Shelby too," Rachel didn't seem to grasp the concept.

Cassandra nodded. "I understand that, honey. I do. But we love her in different ways. You love her like a mommy, and I love her like a wife. Do you get it now?"

Rachel looked from Shelby to Cassie, understanding a bit more now. "So...you can take showers with Shelby because she's your wife and I can't because she's my mommy?" she asked.

"Sort of..." Cassie wasn't sure how to continue with this and looked to Shelby for guidance.

"Rachel, sweetie," her heart was melting wildly at the fact that Rachel was already calling her "mommy". "There are just some things adults can do that children can't. Okay?"

"Okay." Rachel sighed.

Shelby placed a kiss to Rachel's forehead. "Are you ready for your shower now?"

Rachel pondered this question. "Will you sing to me while I take it?" she bargained.

The older brunette laughed. "Yes, sweetie, I will sing to you while you take it."

"Okay!" Rachel undressed quickly and Cassie turned on the water so she could get in.

After Rachel rinsed off, Cassie stayed and helped the little girl wash her hair, in turn getting her pajamas completely soaked as warm water sprayed on her. She reached her hands into the curtain and, after shampooing Rachel's hair, helped her rinse all of the suds out.

"Close your eyes tightly, Rachel." She warned. "This is adult soap, it isn't tear free."

Rachel did as she was told and let Cassie help her. After the shower was completely finished, Cassandra turned off the water and helped Rachel dry off. She called to Shelby in the bedroom that she was completely soaked and was just going to take her own shower. The brunette responded with an "okay" and helped Rachel get dressed in more clothes that might possibly fit her. Meanwhile, Cassie took her shower and they all continued to prepare for their day.

. . .

Once everyone was dried off and dressed and ready, they made their way downstairs, just in time for Holly to ring the doorbell. Shelby was the one to answer it.

Being that Cassie was her protector, Rachel thought it was perfectly fine to hide behind her when the strange woman with long blond hair about the same length as Cassie's stepped through the front door. Rachel knew what a lawyer was. They had called her a liar in court and said she was too young to say what had happened to her in her daddies' house.

Rachel did not trust lawyers, but both Shelby and Cassie called this one her friend. This Holly person was supposed to help her be able to stay here with Cassie and Shelby.

_Just the same I am either going to stay close to Shelby or Cassie while this lady is here,_ Rachel decided to herself.

"I brought breakfast," Holly Holiday told the three, walking through the door with coffee and a bag of something. The lawyer handed the food to Cassie winking at a surprised Rachel who responded by turning abruptly and running the short distance into the kitchen where Shelby was.

"Scared another woman off Holly," Cassie sarcastically commented secretly not understanding what made Rachel run off except if she was afraid Holly would take her away.

"The adorable cute ones anyways seem to either run from me or are unavailable," Holly bantered back. "Rachel Berry is quite cute, and what little digging I have had my office assistant find shows that this kid here has already been through a lot. And it took you damn long enough to contact me but I will get pissed at you later. Now, I just want to bring the old clothes of my niece and see if any of them fit this shy little girl that is the spitting image of Shelby."

"I'll put on my coat and help you," Cassie told her friend quickly, walking the short distance to the kitchen. She sat the food down and noticed with a smile that once again Rachel had taken residence in Shelby's arms. Shelby had gone into the kitchen to use the phone to talk to the manager of the auditorium to confirm them coming over tomorrow night for a dress rehearsal. Before a day of practicing here in the mansion today. It seems now her dear wife was having to multi task because Rachel was in her arms while she spoke. Shelby had somehow managed to get Rachel on one hip while talking on the phone with the other.

Cassie sat the food on the table and rushed back to the door. She got her coat of the coat rack at the door and stepped out to Holly's Volvo. Holly pulled out two bags of clothes. She handed both to Cassie then grabbed her briefcase. They were going to have a lot to talk about.

"That does not look like clothes," Cassie commented, looking at the teddy bear on top of one of the bags.

"It's for Rachel. I was going to give it to Shelby on her next birthday. I got it off of eBay a few months back. It's one of those Broadway Bears that were so popular. This one has a Wicked T-Shirt on." Holly explained. "Kids who have been in the system for any length of time have a strong fear and distrust of cops, lawyers and medical professionals if they have been abused. Teddy Bears can help create a bridge so a child is more open to talk."

"Shelby and I don't want her to leave the house to stay somewhere else, even if it would only be temporarily. We need you to help us make that happen," Cassie said, looking Holly directly in the eyes, staring intently so that Holly knew that Cass was serious. "And when can we have a DNA test done? You know money is not object. I want it done and the results back as soon as possible."

"I will have my assistant acquire one today. When are you closing tonight? I can bring it back then," Holly asked, stopping at the door of the mansion, not going in just yet until she and Cassie finished speaking about this.

"We close at 8:00 but we have a dinner break from 5:30 to 7," Cassie explained their schedule.

"Ok, I will work around your schedule. I may be here one of those times or both. Let's go eat. And I want to meet Rachel."

They made their way inside and found Rachel and Shelby, still in the kitchen.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Rachel. My name is Holly," the blonde told the little girl who did not even want to come over and sit at the kitchen table with the lawyer in the room. Instead, Rachel had sat on the attic steps with Barbra while the food was being pulled from the bag.

Holly surprised Rachel by sitting down on the floor beside her. Her little body stiffened and she was just about to start scooting backwards up the stairs when something beside Holly caught her eye.

"Rachel, Cassie and Shelby called me to come over because they want to be your mommies. They said you want that too, is that right?" Holly asked, picking up the bear she had sitting beside her and beginning to pet at the teddy bear's fur.

"Yeeeesss, I mean yes ma'am," Rachel answered hesitantly, still not sure about Holly but she had never met any lawyer that liked Teddy Bears before, so she must not be all bad.

"Well, I want to help, and I am going to do just that." Holly said, noticing now that Rachel was looking her in the eye. It was as if the girl was trying to figure out how truthful the lawyer was being. "I am going to not only do that Rachel but I am also going to see that nobody ever takes you away from them and nobody ever hurts you again."

"Promises don't mean much. All adults promise then they break them after a while or either lie about what they said they would do in the first place," Rachel murmured under her breath. Rachel did not look at Holly. Instead, she looked at the bear in her hands.

"Well, I am not like most adults and I am most definitely not like most lawyers," Holly told the young brunette. Holly agreed that this little girl had a very strong resemblance to Shelby. "I don't like people that lie. People like the Reverend who promise to look after you and then hurt you are liars, and I dislike them very much."

"You know? I mean, how? Did Cassie tell you?" Rachel asked, looking straight up with a glimmer of fear in her eyes. She found herself scooting over in Holly's direction, wanting comfort. Shelby and Cass were too far away, sitting at the kitchen table.

"She did because she cares about you, and to get you we have to do everything we can to let the police know how bad the Reverend is. We do that, and he can't hurt you or any other kid anymore," Holly explained to the girl who was now sitting right beside her. Holly finished her statement by reaching over and patting Rachel's leg comfortingly.

"You can do that? You can do all of this? You can make them let Shelby and Cassie be my mothers? You can make it so nobody takes me away AND also make the Reverend stay away from me forever?" Rachel asked. She looked up at the blonde lawyer with hopeful expressive brown eyes.

"Yes!" Holly answered very assured. "It might be scary at times, and it might not all happen at once, but I can most certainly do this. You will have to be brave and do things that Shelby, Cass and I ask you to do, even if it frightens you. One of us will always be there when you have to speak to another adult about this, or if they want you to do something that makes you uncomfortable." Holly reached down and picked up the bear and sat him on Rachel's lap. "And here is another friend who will be here for you from now on when you get scared, uncomfortable or feel alone. He is a "Wicked Bear". Cassie told me that you saw Shelby on that show. This is the bear from her show and he is all yours now."

Rachel's face changed from fear to childish excitement.

"It's not a he Holly. It's a she. We need to name it after Shelby's green witch," Rachel gave Holly a quick hug of thanks than rushed over to Shelby and Cass excitedly. "Look, it's a Teddy Bear! A real life toy and its mine!" She'd never had her own stuffed animal before.

Cassie blinked back a tear and nodded her thanks to Holly. Holly was really good with kids.

Holly had worked for Shelby and her while she attended law school in New York.

It worked well for the two successful actresses to have an extra hand to do the personal things that sometimes fell to the way side with their busy schedule. It also gave Holly the money she needed to pay for her schooling. Holly had been originally been a student with Cass and Shelby and had then switched majors. The three remained close and Holly had followed them from New York City to Lima, Ohio. The three were best friends and Holly was like their sister, not in blood but in the heart.

"Shelby look. It's just like you, only she is not green." Rachel told the singer, deciding suddenly she liked the smell of whatever was on the table.

"Yes, she is a really nice bear, Rachel and she is here to help you just like Cass, Holly and I," Shelby decided she needed to emphasize.

"What are you going to name the bear, kid?" Cassie asked opening her arms in invitation for Rachel to sit in her lap.

"Elphie," Rachel decided, not minding now that Holly had joined them at the table.

"Elphie it is." Shelby answered, reaching her hand across the table to squeeze Holly's. The brunette was fully aware that she would get an earful from Holly about waiting to call her, but she also knew that Holly was now just as invested in Rachel and keeping her here as they were.

"I have some clothes for you to try on after we eat, Rachel. They are in two bags in the hall," Holly told the little girl, reaching for a banana nut muffin.

"Try this one, sweetie," Shelby suggested, handing Rachel a blueberry one. The singer/actress broke off a piece and handed it to Rachel to try.

Rachel's eyes grew big as she chewed the bite. It was almost as good as waffles.

Rachel ate quietly, leaning into Cass while the three adults talked about the Winter Program that the Lima School of the Arts was set to perform in a couple of days. Her bear sat on the table beside her.

After she finished, the little girl ran to the hall to examine the clothes. If she found something that fit, maybe she could go out in the snow. Picking up the bag, she drug it up the stairs so that she could go and try some of them on. She was excited to see if they would fit—she'd never had her own clothes before, besides the ones she came dressed in.

"Alright. While Rachel is upstairs...she won't be up there forever." Holly spoke up, motioning for Shelby to join them at the table as opposed to cleaning up the cupboards and putting things away.

Shelby did so, hesitantly. She didn't want to have this discussion. She didn't want to go through this whole huge process that was about to unfold. She just wanted to be able to keep Rachel. Forever.

"What exactly do the two of you want out of all of this?" Holly had out a pen and paper, all business. "I know you want to adopt Rachel-"

"I know that we need a DNA test," Cassandra said. "I have this feeling that Rachel is really your biological daughter, Shelby." this was the first time she'd ever vocally said so to her wife.

The brunette adult double blinked, very slowly. The thought had crossed her mind, yes, but hearing it out loud felt...odd. She didn't want to get her hopes up and there were a lot of feelings thrown into all of this. Even if Rachel truly was her daughter-it would be a lot to take in all at once. She was already very confused about her emotions and the idea that Rachel was hers did not settle her confusion in any way.

"I...I don't know." Shelby said quietly, staring down at her own folded hands on the table. She wasn't sure how to respond, and, although she wanted to know if it was true or not as well, she was admittedly afraid to know the truth. She didn't know what the truth would do to her already fragile state of being about that part of her life. It would change her outlook on things. It would confuse her even more, and it would especially confuse Rachel. Wouldn't she want to know why Shelby had "given her up"? Rachel, right now, was under the impression that her real mother had tossed her to the side like she was nothing.

Cassandra reached next to her to take Shelby's hand. "Sweetheart," her thumb massages small circles into the back of Shelby's hand, softly. "We all need to know. You know that."

"I do know," Shelby nodded. "I do. I'm just...This is a lot to take in, is all." She turned her head to look at her wife. "I want to keep Rachel. SO much. I know she's our daughter, whether she's mine biologically or not. This is all just happening very quickly is all..."

Holly did have to admit that she questioned whether or not Shelby could handle all of this stress right now; all of this change. Especially given the fact that the day before had been the 18th. Was she in the right frame of mind to be making decisions like wanting to adopt this little girl for real? To become a mother to someone she's only known for a day?

The blonde decided she was going to watch how Rachel acted around the two of them, and how they acted around her. That would be how she judged how badly the two adults wanted this. Whether it was something that they all truly wanted, or whether they were blinded by emotion.

"Okay." Holly decided. "Let's take everything one step at a time. I agree when you say the first thing we need is a DNA test."

"But we want to adopt her even if she isn't Shelby's biologically," Cassandra argued. "The fact that she is or isn't won't change that."

"It won't sway your decision at all? It won't change your feelings?" Holly directed this question mostly to Shelby, seeing as she already knew how Cassandra felt about the situation.

"No." Shelby shook her head, looking completely sure of herself. "It doesn't matter. Rachel belongs with us. Holly, I've never been so sure of everything in my life."

Holly was mostly convinced. However, watching their actions with one another would help convince her completely.

"If that's how you feel, then what do you wish to do first, Shelby?" Holly's voice was calming, and understanding. "The ball is in your court, now."

Thinking on it for a moment, Shelby sighed. "I suppose a DNA test is truly the first thing we need to do, isn't it?"

Holly nodded. "I think that's probably reasonable. The problem is, do you think she'll willingly go with me?"

This was a fair question, seeing as Rachel's trust wasn't easily gained. "What about April?" Cassie suggested. "Your girlfriend, she works in a hospital, right? Could you bring her over here...have her do a quick DNA test? Rachel's not going to agree to anything unless Shelby or I are with her, and we're too busy to leave the Mansion today..."

"I can talk to April," Holly nodded in agreement.

"Would Rachel absolutely have to go somewhere in able to do the DNA test?" Shelby wondered. She honestly couldn't see getting Rachel to leave the Mansion. Not right now, anyways.

"Not necessarily," Holly said.

Before they could discuss anything else, not that there was much else to discuss, Rachel clambered down the stairs in a pair of jeans and a cozy looking navy blue sweater.

"Look, Shelby! Look, Cassie! They fit!" she said, excitedly, running up and jumping onto Cassandra's lap.

"I can see that," Cassie smiled down at her. "Did everything fit?" she wondered out loud.

"Pretty much." Rachel nodded, turning to Holly. "Thank you for the clothes. Now I don't have to wear Shelby and Cassie's all the time. I've never had options of different outfits to wear..."

The young brunette's smile had a domino effect-the whole kitchen wore grins on their faces. Shelby and Cassie exchanged a loving glance. They were going to make this little girl's dreams come true. They were going to give her the best childhood that they could. Nothing was going to stop them from doing so.


	12. Mommies and Doctors and Clinics, Oh My

**Thank you all so much for waiting so long. I have the flu and have been trying to write, I really have.**

**To the reader who wanted this on their birthday, I'm sorry we couldn't get it to you then. Think of this as a late birthday present, as well as a late Thanksgiving gift to you all.**

**I'm not sure our chapters will be so long from now on. They're a pain in the ass to edit (this chapter alone i've been working on editing ALL day) but if they're shorter that means faster updates.**

**Thank you all for sticking with us on this.**

**We love you all.**

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley**

Chapter 12: Mommies and Doctors and Clinics, Oh My.

The doorbell rang but Rachel had no inclination to run. Instead, she hung back and watched from the kitchen as a boy that was a little taller than she was with short, red hair and freckles came through the door. A grown up who had to be his mom spoke to Shelby for only a few minutes, and then promised to be back in an hour. The boy had a faraway look in his eyes. It scared Rachel a little bit to look at him. His eyes did not seem right. They did not look evil like the Reverend, but they did not seem quite like they was supposed to be, either. Even a week ago, she would have run off. But not today.

Rachel watched very curiously as Shelby talked to the boy, while he pointed some stick thing in front of him, hitting the floor with it and poking the walls and such. Rachel heard his name: Shelby called him Mason. The two walked down the hall and into a small room with a piano before shutting the door. Rachel breathed a sigh of relief when the hall cleared.

Cassie was in the dance studio, so Rachel scampered in that direction. Cassie was dressed differently now than she was earlier in the morning, and had taken off her shoes. She was leaning against a barre along the wall, by a mirror, and was doing the strangest things putting her leg up on the barre, leaning over it and stretching. It was strange but not as strange as the boys' eyes who came through the door. If Cassie saw Rachel in the doorway she ignored her.

Rachel remembered. She was to stay out of the way. She scampered under the piano in the room and lay down on her stomach, contenting herself to watch Cassie do bizarre twists. How could a person bend their body like Cassie could? She knew she was supposed to be quiet but she could not help herself.

"Cassie, are you like Elastic Girl in the comic books in the library or something? How do you make your leg do that? Can you put your leg behind your head like those Chinese acrobat ladies in the books in the library?" Rachel asked in a very curious voice, totally amazed Cassie could do the things she was doing. "Does it hurt?"

Before Cassie could answer, the sounds of classical music filled the air. Cassie recognized the piece immediately, Canon in D. Rachel, however, just waited for either the boy or Shelby to sing. No singing happened.

"Rach, I am no superhero, and I went to China and sang a show with Shelby but I never met anybody to teach me to do what those acrobats do," Cassie answered, turning around and noticing Rachel lying on her stomach; her chin propped up on her folded arms. "I can do what I do with my legs because I work very, very hard to do so. I practice a lot so I can keep being able to put my chin into my leg when I stretch it on the barre. I do this before I dance. It helps me dance without getting hurt."

"I would get hurt if I tried to touch my nose to my knee, Cassie," Rachel said honestly. "I would probably yell ouch and fall off that bar thing."

Cassie smiled and her mind left her mental planning of the day's sessions with her students. Instead, she moved from the bar and sat on the floor against the mirror.

She would show off a little, why not, Cassie told herself. _I'm double jointed after all and I have an audience_. Without a lot of fanfare, Cassie lifted her left leg and put it behind her head.

"Ohh my gooooodnesssssss! Wooooooowww!" Rachel whispered, amazed. "Do the other one! Do the other one!"

Laughing, Cassie indulged in the little girl's wishes, watching in amusement as the young girl's eyes widened even larger than they already were, (if that were possible). It was slightly odd, to see a young child so amazed by something as simple as flexibility. She realized that Rachel appreciated and smiled at the simple things in life; that she truly did not take anything for granted, for she'd learned the hard way what that did to someone.

"Can you teach me?" Rachel asked, somewhat nervously. She really wanted to learn how to dance, (especially since she dreamed and dreamed of one day being on the stage, like Shelby and Cassie once were), but was admittedly a little intimidated to be a beginner in front of someone as incredible as Cassie.

With a slow nod, after lowering her legs back to the floor, Cassandra replied, "I think that could probably be arranged. But it takes a lot of time, Rachel. It's not something that you'll be able to do by tomorrow."

Rachel nodded, mainly just eager. "Okay. Can you do any other tricks?"

Suddenly Cassie felt like a dog in a show, but she didn't mind being put on the spot for the little girl's enjoyment. "Well... I usually dance in my toe shoes, which help me do most of what I do."

"Can I see?" Rachel practically pleaded.

"I suppose..." Cassie smiled at her. It was rare for someone to actually want her to dance for them, besides Shelby, since it'd been a while since she'd been on Broadway. Most of the time, the students hated when she danced, because it meant she was showing them how to correct what they were doing. Sometimes they enjoyed it when she and Shelby did little impromptu performances, but it felt weird to suddenly just be asked to show off.

After lacing her slippers, Cassie got back on her feet and stretched out her legs before striking a dancer's pose, balancing on the tip of her shoes and stretching her leg up and out.

Rachel let out another gasp of admiration. "You're such a good dancer." She said, enviously.

"I've had lots of practice, Rachel. I'm not perfect." Cassie went back to flat foot, in fifth position. "Nobody is."

"But you want your students to be perfect for the concert," Rachel pointed out. "I heard you tell Shelby so."

"Well, we want them to be the best that they can be," Cass admitted. "If you don't put your best effort into something, then what's the point of doing it at all, right?"

"For the practice?" Rachel guessed.

"You practice the way you perform, Rachel," Cassie whispered, tapping Rachel on the nose and kissing her forehead. "I have to get ready for my classes now, okay?"

Rachel adored the way Cassandra talked to her. When Cassie spoke, she never used a mean or condescending tone. It was always with love, even when she was explaining things. Reverend always just got mad. He had no patience with her, and even though Cassie didn't have much patience or tolerance for much, she had patience and tolerance for Rachel. And that said something important.

"Okay," Rachel said, jumping up and hugging Cassie tightly. "Will you show me more, later?"

Cassie kissed the girl's temple. She loved this feeling. Like she could actually be a mother. Even though she felt like she might not be the best mother, Rachel made her feel like it was actually possible.

"Of course, Rachel." She promised.

Rachel hoped her promise would hold true. She had an excited feeling in her gut that it would.

. . .

There was no time today for separate rehearsals. The next day would be the first and only true dress rehearsal and if it didn't run smoothly, things would be horrible. It was about to be a very stressful day of hard work and discipline. Cassandra and Shelby's students were already fairly disciplined anyways, but on this day they all knew that they had to perform especially well.

Cassandra's studio was already full in what seemed like nanoseconds. For some reason she'd thought she'd have more time to prepare herself. She'd also thought that by now, Rachel had gone with Shelby to look in on some of her classes, and didn't notice the young girl expertly hiding in the corner, behind the groups of other students.

Rachel didn't mind. Cassie was busy; she didn't have to notice her in there. She just wanted to watch all of the work that was going into this huge concert. It looked, though time consuming and rough, like a lot of fun.

"Let's go! Lace your shoes, we have a lot to accomplish!" Cassie clapped her hands at her little ones. Her first group was about Rachel's age.

A young Latina girl who seemed to belong to that group sat in front of Rachel as she laced up her ballet slippers. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stood, stretching and walking towards her spot on the studio floor.

"Look alive, my sweet Mariana." Cass said to her. Rachel watched as the girl immediately straightened up and stood in the position that Cassandra had told Rachel was called 5th.

After they ran through the routine once, Cassandra stopped them, shaking her head with her hand running through her hair. "I know that you know how to do this. You've practiced and practiced. Come ON, you guys. It's not flowing. This is a ballet! Ballet dancers aren't so stiff. You need to loosen up! What happened to stretches?"

No one answered her. They knew it was wise to stay silent on a day so close to concert when they performed anything less than flawlessly.

"Up at the barre." she directed.

Her students rushed over towards the barre in perfect order, waiting in 5th position for her command to begin. She did so, and Rachel watched as the students stretched their legs up high and bent their other legs down low. Her eyes widened. Though Cassie was teaching her how to limber up as well, their movements were still a mystery to her. She still believed it would hurt her, if she tried. But these kids were her age and they could do it without a problem!

She decided she'd have to practice later, so that Cassie would think she was perfect, too.

As the hour dragged on, Cassandra seemed to get more frustrated with her students, even though Rachel thought what they were doing looked fine, Cassandra noticed every tiny little mistake. Rehearsals before the concert made her a little crazy. In fact, rehearsals before concerts made everyone a little crazy.

By the time her college class had walked through the door, she was in a hell of a mood.

"Alright you guys," She had started to use her dance cane as opposed to clapping her hands together. "We have ONE rehearsal after this. You all know what that means. I need perfection from all of you. 110% and I am going to work you. If you don't think you can handle it, you can leave my classroom now."

Students exchanged looks. They were used to this, but wondered what was making her so pissy this morning. Nobody moved an inch.

"Good. Shelby's going to come in here today so we can work on dancing with her vocals, alright?" there were scattered nods throughout the room and Rachel remained silent in the corner, watching as Shelby walked through the studio doors.

"Hey you guys. You ready to work?"

More scattered nodding.

Shelby turned and looked at Cassandra. "Hey, baby. Is Rachel with Holly?"

Cass shook her head. "Holly left to talk to April—I thought Rachel was with you?" her eyes widened in concern. She had 2 jobs; to teach, and to watch Rachel, and she hadn't balanced them out equally. _I'd make a horrible mother._ The blonde thought, horrified. _What am I about to get myself into?! _

Before she could worry herself anymore, Rachel popped out from the corner.

"I'm right here." she said simply. "I've just been watching silently. It's okay that she didn't notice me, I didn't want her to. I wanted her to be focused and not worry about me."

The little girl was so innocent, but Cassandra and Shelby could feel their hearts beating rapidly, thinking they'd already lost the girl. Shelby crouched down to Rachel's height and whispered, "That was very thoughtful of you, Rachel, but you need to tell one of us where you are at all times, okay? You scared us, sweetie."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said quietly. "I didn't want to scare you. I just knew you would be very busy and that I shouldn't bother you."

This time it was Cassandra's turn to crouch down. "You're never a bother, sweetheart." she didn't want to show her soft side to her students, but she couldn't help but feel like she owed Rachel an explanation. "I promise. Why don't you go sit on that stool over there and watch, okay? You don't have to sit in the corner."

"Okay," Rachel nodded and hopped up onto the stool, happy to be able to be near both women

Cassandra's students shared hushed whispers, curious as to who this little girl was. Many commented on her uncanny resemblance to Shelby, which didn't go unheard by the older brunette. She dry swallowed. Thoughts about what Cassie had said earlier swimming through her head. _I think she might be your daughter._

_I think she might be, too._

"Okay," Cass pounded her cane on the floor to keep beat. "Let's do this. Places!" Everyone rushed to grab their partners-the college class was doing a quick step to All I Want for Christmas is You, with vocals by Shelby. "And 5-6-7-8"

_"I don't want a lot for Christmas, There is just one thing I need..._

_I don't care about the presents, underneath the Christmas tree..._

_I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know,_

_Make my wish come true...all I want for Christmas, is...you..."_

Shelby started the song and as they went through it, she sang beautifully, but she couldn't focus or get into it. Usually, when she sang this song, she thought of Cassie, and it always made her smile. She was ordinarily jubilant whilst performing this. Full of life and energy.

Today she couldn't bring herself to get into it, and she knew she was being a hypocrite, telling her students to perform 110%. She was truly attempting to, but she couldn't stop thinking about that little girl. The one who was watching them perform and rehearse right now. The one who stumbled into her life so suddenly, but had already made her feel more motherly and loving than she ever had in her entire life. The one they believed was her biological daughter. The daughter she'd been grieving for nine years.

She didn't have much more time to think about it as Cassie pounded her cane and called her out of her reverie.

"Stop, stop, stop." Cass cut the music and glared her college students down. "You guys, this is a quick step. A. Quick. Step. Don't lag behind, and don't get ahead, either! Stay. On. Time. For. God's. Sake. And don't be so emotionless! What the hell's up with that? I have not taught you to be robots! You're happy. This is a happy song, of longing and hope. All you want for Christmas is the person you love the most. FEEL it. Positions."

Everyone rushed back to their starting places and she called out,

"Music,"

Shelby obliged.

_"I don't want a lot for Christmas..."_

They ran through it once more and Cassandra sighed.

"Better. I guess." She put her hand to her forehead. "Take five."

She walked over to Shelby with wide eyes. "I am going to strangle every single last one of them. Do we not rehearse for months? For hours at a time? JUST for this concert?!"

Shelby nodded. Cassandra wasn't wrong. None of the students were doing as well as their full potential entailed, and everyone knew it. It was extraordinarily frustrating, as a teacher. However, as Cassandra's lover and business partner, Shelby knew she could agree with her, but not to the point of actually in fact letting her strangle these students.

With the stress that Cassandra felt she was under, Shelby wouldn't put it past her to go through with it. She took her lover's hands very carefully in her own.

"I know it's very frustrating," she said. "I know we're dealing with a lot right now. But you have got to take a deep breath. They're not going to respond positively to your yelling."

"They'll respond positively if they know what's good for them." Cassandra argued, breathing out heavily.

"Breathe, my love. We still have tomorrow."

"And if they're still performing like this, tomorrow-" Cass ran both hands through her hair.

"Think about what's stressing you out. You know it's not just these kids." Shelby said.

Cassandra took a deep breath. "I know. I know." her tone grew more serious. More loving. She pulled Shelby closer to her, pressing their foreheads together. "You're singing beautifully." she whispered. They pecked lips softly.

"We'll get through today." Shelby promised, yearning for more of Cassie's touch. To comfort her. To caress and protect her. She pecked her lover's lips another time. "We will."

"Okay." Cassie whispered back. "Okay. Everyone up! Let's run it again. From the top. FIVE," everyone hurried back to their spots. "SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT."

Rachel watched as Cassie commanded her students around. This was not a side of Cassie that she'd seen before, and it actually sort of scared her. She was being very loud and she was clearly very upset. She was being very strict when Rachel didn't think the students were doing that badly.

_Of course, I'm not a professional dancer..._Rachel thought to herself. But Cassie all of a sudden seemed very intimidating. Now she was just afraid that nothing she did would ever be good enough for the dancer. It terrified her to the core.

Once Shelby had finished singing for what seemed like the billionth time, Cassandra dismissed her class and left the studio, fuming. Shelby assumed her wife was going to try to calm down. Most likely, she was heading to the kitchen for some tea or something. As the older brunette spun around to grab her water bottle, she spied her younger little doppelganger. The young girl's eyes were wide and scared-something Shelby hadn't seen from her in a while.

Assuming it had to do with the hustle and bustle of the day, Shelby picked her up and held her close to her. "It's alright, sweet one." she whispered in promise. "I know there's a lot of new people today-"

"It's not the students." Rachel's voice was so small it was practically nonexistent. She wasn't afraid of all of the students-she'd seen how full the studio got at past rehearsals, and today was no exception.

With concerned eyes, Shelby held Rachel closer.

"Then what is it, sweetheart?" she asked, comfortingly.

Rachel bit her lip. She didn't want to admit what was really wrong to Shelby. She didn't want to be afraid of Cassie, whom she'd noticed was so sweet and loving the day before, and knew that she probably had no reason to be. Adjusting her grasp, she clung tighter to Shelby.

"Rachel," Shelby cooed, not understanding. "Sweetie, what's the matter?"

"I'm not good enough." Rachel whispered hurriedly. "Cassie won't love me. I'm not right. I'm not right enough for her. I'm just going to make her upset with me."

Now Shelby understood what was going on. Rachel was clearly very confused, and it broke Shelby's heart to hear Rachel talk the way that she was. She knew it was bound to destroy Cassie, as well. Of course Rachel would be scared and hurt if she saw Cassie acting so nicely and loving towards her the day before, and then so strict and short tempered with her students.

Cassandra always taught her students that way. She was always tough with them. Her students knew that and they were used to it. She was trying to prepare them for the real world-for show business, which was often more brutal than any of Cassandra's rants. She picked on her students so they would show off their potential. So that they would grow as performers. Because she KNEW that they were so good, and was trying to show them how good they could be, and although her methods were often a little unconventional, she didn't know any other way. It was just how she was.

"Cassandra doesn't show her soft side to very many people. I know she seems very harsh and strict, but on the inside she's a very loving and emotional person. She showed you her soft side because you're already a very important part of her life. She already loves you. You have her approval, you don't have to earn it. It's already yours. I promise you, sweetheart, you will always be enough for her. You are absolutely perfect just the way you are. You don't have to prove yourself to anybody."

Rachel was listening to what Shelby told her, she really was. But she was having a hard time wrapping her head around what the older brunette was saying. She'd never been good enough, not for anybody. It was hard to believe that so suddenly, she could have the love and acceptance of these women that she'd only just met. Even if they already felt like family. Based on how she was feeling right now, and based on her past experiences, she knew she shouldn't be so naive, no matter how much she wanted to just listen to Shelby, and let Shelby and Cassie be her new mommies.

She had to hear it from Cassie. There was no other way for her to be completely reassured of the situation.

. . .

The door was shut. The students on their way home for the night. Cassie saw Shelby shift towards the practice room that housed a piano that Shelby taught her piano lessons in and shut the door. The blonde knew what that meant. Shelby needed to work through some things. That was fine. So much was happening personally and professionally with the winter program, and then with Rachel coming in their lives.

_And speaking of Rachel, where is she?_ Cassandra asked herself. The dancer chastised herself for the second time today. She worried she would be terrible at the mother role. She had lost Rachel twice already.

So, Cassie started looking in the obvious places. In the corners in the dance studio, under the piano, behind the curtains. Nothing! Cassie then moved to the hallway. She looked in the tiny bathroom. She could not help but remember finding it toilet papered and grumping at Shelby for using her hair brush. Rachel was not there, either. The next room she tried was the kitchen. The room was dark. Upstairs to the attic was dark too. Somehow, Cassie found herself not looking around in the kitchen but making her way to the attic steps.

She knew where the little girl was up there. She knew she was hiding and she knew why. She was hiding because she had been watching her all day with her dancers. Cassie knew her teaching style was direct, demanding and bordered at times on harsh. The blonde imagined the Reverend shared some of the same character traits. At one point, Cassie might have shut herself off from this. She would not feel the need to explain anything to anybody about why she did what she did. She did not usually care. The thing was now, Cassie did care. She cared about Rachel's feelings a lot. So she turned on the attic light and made her way up the wooden steps.

_Not good enough, not talented enough, not musical enough,_ Rachel thought to herself as she huddled in the attic back behind some boxes again. _I don't know what I was thinking dreaming for a life here. I'm not going to be up to standard and then Cassie will yell at me all the time, too._

"I don't think I could stand it if Cassie yelled at me like that if I was just trying to do what she wanted me to," Rachel told Barbra who was sitting on her lap. "I'm scared. Maybe I would not make a very good daughter."

Cassandra had heard Rachel talking to the cat and her heart jumped into her throat. Her teaching style had not only scared the kid, but had her questioning if she could measure up and be a good daughter for them. Ironic, the blonde was previously downstairs questioning if she could be a good enough mother, herself. She questioned her abilities but not her heart. In her heart she was already invested.

"Rachel?" Cassie said from the top of the stairs, announcing her presence. "Can I come in? Can I sit with you?"

Rachel nodded woodenly, tucking her head into her chin and hiding her face behind her hair. When the Siamese hopped off of her lap to greet her blonde haired mistress, Rachel drew her legs up tight against her chest.

_How can I be so scared of her and want her to hold me tight all at the same time? _Rachel asked herself, biting on her hair. It was a nervous habit she only did when she was upset.

Cassie picked up some storage tubs and moved them out of the way, then sat down right beside Rachel. The blonde figured a good parent would have a good speech planned out for such an occasion as scaring your child and be able to say something inspiring or comforting to build up their confidence and assure them of their special worthiness. But Cassie had no instruction booklet for being a mom and her own parent where assholes. The dancer was never going to say the kinds of things to Rachel that her folks did to her.

_Just think of Shelby, she is a mini Shelby, just be honest and own up to you stupidity,_ Cassie coached herself. She cleared her throat and spoke from her heart.

"I heard what you told Barbra, kid. Can I tell you something, just between you and me?" Cassie asked the little girl, who lifted her head up ever so slightly so she could peer at her though her hair. Cassie noticed the little girl was chewing her hair like chewing gum. She could only surmise it was a nervous habit. It was one that she and Shelby would have to address later, but for now it was not important.

"I am scared, too. My mother was not very good one. So I did not have a very good example to learn from. I care for you so much and want be the best mother for you. But I know how I can be sometimes," Cassie said honestly, tentatively putting a hand on Rachel's boney knee. "I get grumpy. I let things get to me. I sometimes yell first and don't think before I speak. Sometimes I don't see how Shelby puts up with me."

"Shelby loves you that is why. She gave you a kiss and told you to relax when you acted scary with your old man cane during rehearsing," Rachel offered, stopping chewing her hair just long enough to give her opinion. "She knows you are not perfect and loves you anyway."

"You think so?" she chuckled inwardly at Rachel calling her dance cane an "old man cane". "Before I met Shelby I yelled a lot, and not just when I was mad either. I also yelled when I wanted to encourage people to do a better job," Cassie shared, noticing Rachel had put her legs down and her posture was relaxing little by little. "It's gotten a lot better since I met her. Still though, when I teach I get so emotional. I want my students to be their very best, sometimes I don't speak calmly."

"The students did not seem afraid, Cassie," Rachel offered again, "You did make them work harder. It was just really loud and made the whole room echo. It scared me." Rachel swallowed back a sob that wanted to come out. "I don't know how to be a daughter, Cassie and I don't think I am perfect enough. You would yell at me all the time."

Cassie smiled inside. Rachel was now talking with her honestly.

"I am sorry I scared you, Rachel. I am so afraid I won't do a good job with you. But I really, really want you, Rach. I mean, Santa did not just give you a gift. He gave Shelby and I one too, you," Cassie spoke softly, sliding closer to Rachel so their shoulders touched.

"I don't want you to be afraid, Cassie. I know you don't know much about being a mother, especially if you had a bad one. I don't know much about mothers either because I only had daddies," Rachel reassured the blonde dancer. The young girl got more serious and pushed the hair out of her face, "I'll make you a deal. I'll help you and you help me because neither of us is perfect. I really want for us to be keepers."

"Keepers, kid. I really want to do a good job so I appreciate your help," Cassie took Rachel's hand in hers and squeezed it. "You know what you can do for me when you see me start getting worked up and yell out something at my students, you or even Shelby?"

"What?" Rachel asked honestly, deciding she was not so afraid of Cassie. Rachel had always assumed Mommies were perfect. But now the girl knew that nobody was.

You had to just keep trying to do your very best and love your family. Then being perfect did not matter.

"I was wondering if you would just come over and take my hand," Cassie asked, Rachel lacing their fingers together and holding it tightly. "Just like this. Get my attention. Give my hand a squeeze to remind me to relax and not yell."

"I can do that, Cassie. When you go to your dress rehearsal tomorrow you and I may have to hold hands the entire day then. You yell a lot. Good thing I am stubborn and don't give up." Rachel gave Cassie an impish grin, then moved onto her lap, straddling her legs to stare into her face.

"And I am not going to give up reminding you that you are perfect just the way you are. And daughters, like mothers, are not perfect. What can I do for you, kid, to help you when you are scared, confused and want to run off?" Cassie asked honestly.

"This," Rachel said with a smile, "Hold me. You have strong arms and I feel safe and special when you hold me."

"It's a deal, kid. It's a deal," Cassie told Rachel, extending her hand out for a handshake.

"It's a deal," Rachel agreed. Down below the song of the piano drifted upwards through the air vent. It was a song that Rachel actually knew. She had seen Disney's Pinocchio in the library. The song was "When You Wish Upon a Star".

"You can hear pretty well up here, Rach but what do you say we head down below and watch Shelby while she sings this beautiful song?" Cassie asked, receiving a nod in agreement. The pair held hands as they made their way down the attic steps and into the kitchen.

Cassie thanked the fates as Rachel smiled that sweet, forgiving, innocent smile at her. Cassandra July was not perfect by any means, but she felt her talk with Rachel had gone well. Both understood each other a lot better now, and had made a promise to help each other. That vow made together, Cassie claimed Rachel as her own then and there. She, Rachel and Shelby were a family.

. . .

Shelby sat at the piano in thought. It had been easy to consider this little girl who wrote a note to Santa as an opportunity to give love to a child in need. Sure, she had to work through the guilt that she was somehow not being loyal to her lost daughter, but that had not been too hard to do when you looked into the those big brown expressive eyes. Then this morning, Cassie had actually said it aloud.

_I couldn't really be her mother, could I? It's too much of a coincidence. It can't be true. It isn't. I'm just being naively hopeful, and I need to stop. Things aren't always true just because you want them to be, Shelby. Life doesn't work out that way...Does it?_

A life had been literally ripped from her womb. Grief had eaten at her for years. In a moment of time, Shelby had lost her daughter, her mother and her father. But after that single moment there was the aftermath.

She thought back on how all she'd wanted for those nine years was her daughter back.

She'd had Cassandra, who was more than enough and more, she often thought, than she deserved. They, together, were a family. But Shelby couldn't help but wonder what their lives might have been like, if she'd been able to keep her daughter.

She wondered who her daughter was and what her life was like so far.

She wondered if Rachel really was hers, and if she was, she hated herself for allowing such horrible things to happen to her. Because she felt that it was most definitely her fault that the little girl had been through such a rotten childhood. That it was her fault she'd been taken away

But she had been a baby herself; that was what her mother said, anyway. She was too young to care for a child. She would have no future and neither would the baby. She had believed it right up to the moment that she saw her daughter's face. When the doctor cut the cord, Shelby Corcoran was a mother. A mother who lost a child.

So what if this child had somehow been fated to be returned to her? Could she let go of the guilt she had held on to like a security blanket for nine years?

Her fingers flew across the grand piano's keys faster than she could think about what she was doing. She didn't even recognize the song but suddenly she was singing it.

_"When you wish upon a star,_

_Makes no difference who you are..."_

She knew what she was doing now. The emotion poured out of her, begging to be freed after being bottled up and shoved down to her gut.

_"__Anything your heart desires _

_Will come to you…" _

God, could it be true, could she allow herself to believe this? She had never allowed herself luxury to dream, to hope. Could her baby be staring her in the face? Could her heart's desires come to her?

_"__If your heart is in your dream,_

_No request is too extreme..."_

She closed her eyes and wished. She dreamed. Tears streamed down her face without her approval. She didn't even care.

_"__When you wish upon a star,_

_As dreamers do._

_Fate is kind, _

_She brings to those who love…"_

Shelby's voice grew stronger as she sang. She had loved her baby from the moment she had learned she had a little one growing inside of her. Shelby was not sure fate was always kind, but she was willing to shed her cynicism to give fate a chance, a chance for Rachel and for herself.

God help her. _God please!_ Shelby thought to herself. _Please let Rachel be my baby. Please let love and wishing on a star have brought my baby home._

Her wish made and her willingness to take a chance at either her heart's desire or heartbreak decided. Shelby found herself at peace with herself. Really believing the words this time, Shelby raised her voice and sung with more confidence and power. Shelby heard the opening of the door of the tiny room, and she saw her lover holding Rachel in her arms. They were her audience and she needed for them to hear the song's message and believe it too.

_"__When you wish upon a star _

_Makes no difference who you are _

_Anything your heart desires _

_Will come to you _

_If your heart is in your dream _

_No request is too extreme _

_When you wish upon a star _

_As dreamers do _

_Fate is kind _

_She brings to those who love _

_The sweet fulfillment of _

_Their secret longing _

_Like a bolt out of the blue _

_Fate steps in and sees you through _

_When you wish upon a star _

_Your dreams come true."_

Shelby turned on the piano bench and looked at Cassandra, her soul mate. The very stoic blonde had a stubborn tear that she was trying to blink back. Rachel was just as moved. She was chewing on her hair.

"Come here please, both of you," Shelby said with her voice above a whisper. "I want to share the dream I wished upon the star on."

No words were spoken back to the older brunette, but Cass slid on the piano bench beside her and Rachel held her arms up in a subtle request to be held. Shelby happily obliged.

"I wished," Shelby whispered into Rachel's ear, but loud enough so that Cassandra would hear as well. "I wished with all my heart for my daughter back. That was all I wanted. And then, Rachel," she looked into the deep brown eyes of the curious little girl, and silently pulled a strand of hair out of her mouth for her. "My wish gave me you. Now,"

She put her head to the other side of Rachel, so that her chin was resting on her shoulder. "I know that doesn't automatically make you my biological daughter. But, wouldn't it be crazy amazing," her voice cracked as she tried to find a way to make this DNA test sound much cooler than it would feel. "If you truly were?"

_This feels so right,_ Shelby thought to herself, lifting Rachel up in her arms so she sat facing the singer. Rachel's body just seemed to be able to mold itself to her adult frame. Cassandra's hip touched Shelby's, grounding her. The dancers arm was wrapped around Shelby's waist. Shelby's musing about the perfection of the moment was broken by Rachel's comment.

"I have wanted that since I heard your voice for the first time singing…" Rachel's voice was muffled since her face was tucked in Shelby's chest.

"I've wanted that since we first met," Shelby admitted to the young girl. "And Cassie has, too. So what we were wondering is...Rachel, we were wondering if you wanted to find out for sure if you really are my biological daughter or not. Would you like that?"

"You were singing in the kitchen, cooking breakfast about a land over the rainbow. I was up in the attic, looking at you. You sounded like an angel," Rachel explained with tears in her eyes. She had heard the question but seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. "It seemed like a dream. I kept thinking it would be nice to have a mommy to cook for me and I would not have to be hungry anymore. And when I saw your face and hair, I kept thinking how much you looked like me."

Rachel took a deep breath and thought of the things that the three had done. What it if stopped? What if the test showed Rachel was not Shelby's daughter? And even if she was she was broken.

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "I'm scared."

"I'm scared too, sweetheart." Shelby admitted. "I'm worried about a lot of things. But we can't let fear hold us back from doing things. Fear is our enemy. If we let fear control our lives, it stops us from doing things we really want to do."

"I'm not perfect. I can't dance, I've never had voice lessons like you would want a daughter to have. I have not been to school in over a year. I am not school smart and I've got scars all over my body," Rachel blurted out, her voice quaking in fear that what she was saying may cause the two women to reject her. "Even if I am her. I am not as perfect as both of you are. If the test shows I am not yours. They will take me away and put me in jail."

_But I rather them do it now than later,_ Rachel told herself.

"Sweetheart," Cassie felt it was time for her to intervene. "Nobody is perfect. We've already been over this." she didn't say it unkindly, but just as a reminder. "Everybody has their flaws. When I met Shelby, I was terrified that she would reject me. I have a horrible personality and she was way out of my league."

The brunette stifled a small laugh.

"But I gave her a chance. I gave myself a chance to show her who I was and she gave us a chance and look at us now. We are an unstoppable force of nature, and we're how each other survives. Even if you are not Shelby's biologically...that doesn't mean that Shelby and I will love you any less. Blood does not make a family, Rachel. Love makes a family. They will not take you away or put you in jail because Shelby and I are going to fight for you. Okay?"

Shelby lifted Rachel's chin so that the child had no choice but to look her in the face.

"I am not leaving you, ever, Rachel. If the police come by, I will be next to you. If they call Social Services or a doctor, I will be right there holding your hand. If they want you to go with them alone, I will politely tell them that I am coming along with you." Shelby told Rachel in a voice that the young girl thought sounded more like Cassie's teaching voice.

Rachel believed her.

"Okay." the little girl whispered. "What do we have to do to find out if I'm really yours?"

"Well," Shelby let go of the girl's chin. She hadn't been holding it tightly, but just enough so that she knew Rachel was paying close attention. "They'll have to take some part of your DNA."

"But what does that mean?" Rachel asked.

Shelby knew she had to remember that this girl was young and hadn't been to school in over a year.

"DNA is like a fingerprint," Cassie offered, "It's what makes you, you." The blonde leaned over so she could look Rachel in the eye. "It's passed from mother to child. A doctor tests both Shelby and you and compares a tissue sample. If they match, Shelby is your biological mother

"How would they get it?" asked the ever curious young girl.

"Well, they could get it by taking a hair sample, or by swabbing your mouth with a cotton ball...they could find out even more about you with a blood sample...it all depends, Rach." Cassie tried to explain this in terms a young girl would understand, without intimidating or scaring her in any way.

"Can we do it right now?" Rachel asked, suddenly feeling like she really wanted to do this. Shelby and Cassie must feel pretty confident about this or why would not have told her about

"Calm down, sweetheart." Shelby cooed to her. "We need a doctor to be able to do it, so we have to wait for Holly's girlfriend to show up and give us the all clear. We're not entirely sure how this is going to work yet. We might have to take you down to the clinic to get it done."

As if magically summoned, Cassie's cell phone interrupted the conversation. Cassie reached into her pocket, fished it out, and looked at the caller ID.

"Its Holly," she told the two brunettes.

She answered it. "Hey, Hol. What's the plan?"

"I've had a nice day today, thank you for asking. I'm sure yours was also pleasant? So glad we have these little small-talk chats." Holly responded back rather sarcastically. "Ever one-track minded you are, Viva."

Viva was Holly's nickname for Cassandra, taken from her middle name, Vivian. It was her favorite miniature torture towards the blonde, since the blonde basically despised her middle name.

"This is kind of a big deal, Hol." Cass responded back.

"I'm well aware, sweet cheeks. April is on board. What did your little one say?"

Cassandra beamed from ear to ear as she looked down at the girl who might be the answer to, well, everything. The little girl who'd only ever wanted a home and was about to get one, as well as the family of her dreams. The little girl whose dreams were going to come true.

"She said yes. She's eager to find out, too."

Rachel surprised both the dancer and singer by grabbing the phone out of Cassie's hand.

"When are you coming over here? Can you do the test here? Cass and Shelby have not cooked anything because of all the practicing can you bring some food?" Rachel asked her questions all in one breath.

Shelby laughed and took the phone out of Rachel's hands, pressing it up to her own ear. "As you can see, she is ever the inquisitive and anxious little one." she kissed the top of Rachel's head. "Though most of her questions were valid."

"Most?"

"You don't have to bring us dinner."

"Though, if you'd prefer to, we wouldn't be completely against it," Cassie called into the receiver. Shelby teasingly pushed her back.

"I'm pretty sure we can do it at the studio, but it would be better to do it at the clinic." Holly explained. "So if you can get her to the clinic-not the hospital, but the clinic at least-that would probably be better. If not we can work something else out. It's not the 24 hour clinic, so most people won't be there after 7. April said she'll stay late to help out. Would that work?"

Rachel tuned out most of the rest of the conversation. She knew the most important one. They were going to a clinic, not a hospital and would go after dinner. She stayed quiet only half listening as Cass made the final arrangements. She would be leaving the mansion for the first time since she snuck in. That alone frightened her and her experience with doctors was not the best.

She was very afraid now, and tried to remember what Shelby told her.

_I won't let fear control me. I won't let fear control me._

_I don't like doctors. I don't like clinics. I don't want to go anywhere but here, with Shelby and Cassie. I don't want to leave here. They'll never let me come back. It's a trap._

_No. Shelby and Cassie wouldn't trap me._

_I don't know Holly._

_Shelby and Cassie trust her._

_Does that mean I should?_

The war inside of her head raged on. She clung tightly to Shelby for guidance. Now she wasn't sure what to do.

"We will take your bear with us," Shelby whispered, playing with Rachel's hair trying to soothe her. "And Cass and I will be with you the whole time."

"I won't let you out of my sight kid. And I think you will like April, she has candy up there at her clinic for the kids. She likes kids," Cass assured rubbing Rachel's back.

"McDonalds?" Cassie leaned in and asked Shelby about dinner, knowing Shelby hated McDonalds.

Shelby turned her attention back to Rachel and whispered, "I think Mama's trying to poison me."

Rachel giggled, and smiled at the fact that Shelby was referring to Cassie as her mama already. It made her smile and made her feel more comforted.

"Subway?" Cassie tried again. "You have to admit it's better than McDonalds."

"Healthier, at least." Shelby sighed. "Fine, fine, but just for tonight."

"Thank youuuuu," Cassie leaned in and gave Shelby a big bear hug.

Following in her new Mama's footsteps, Rachel hugged Shelby hugely as well.

"Thank youuuu." Even though she didn't know what Subway even was. She'd never had a chance to eat fast food that she could remember.

"Do you want me to go out and get it, or can I make Holly our slave?" Cassie seemed very excited about the idea of sending Holly to do her errands. The relationship between those two was incredibly mind boggling.

"Your choice, love." Shelby said with a small smile. It wasn't as if she didn't know what Cassie was going to pick.

"Come on kid, let's go call Holly and get her up here pronto," Cassie told Rachel who let herself be picked up and carried out of the room. The dancer was relieved that Rachel was treating her much like she had yesterday and before the work day. Rachel had her arms wrapped around her neck and her legs around Cassie's waist.

"Is she really your slave? I thought she was a lawyer?" Rachel asked but again, in her usual, way Rachel asked yet another question. "Is McDonalds taste good? I bet it does if Shelby hates it. Shelby likes yucky tuna fish."

"Yes, McDonalds even has cool toys with kid's meals Rach. I am going to have to take you there and get you a Happy Meal someday." the blonde told the little girl indulgently.

_Of course who is to say Holly can't get Rachel some French fries or something in the drive thru after she hits Subway,_ Cassie mused. _Shelby can't kill me with Holly and Rachel as witnesses._

So, instead of getting Subway for the kid, Cassie told Holly to get Rachel McDonalds.

After giving Holly their orders, Cass got off the phone and explained to Rachel, "And no, sweetie, she's not really my slave. Just my best friend. Whom I sometimes treat like a little sister. Because she pretty much is."

"Oh. Okay." Rachel giggled at Cassie's silliness. Meanwhile, Shelby passed by them and tapped Cassie's ass lightly, pulling her in close as they all walked down the hallway.

"What did you order me, missy?" Shelby whispered borderline threateningly in Cassie's ear, nibbling it quickly and lightly.

"Something very greasy and full of calories that you'll regret in the morning." Cassie taunted her back.

Shelby rolled her eyes. "A greasy sub, huh?" she crinkled her nose and Cassie kissed it.

"Only your usual, healthy, pita bread and hardly anything good sub, my dear."

"I have to compete with those abs of yours somehow," Shelby kissed her again.

"Mmm. If you say so."

Rachel giggled again. Her new mommies were adorable. And so silly.

Rachel lay down smack down right in the middle of Shelby and Cassie's bed and watched her new mommies. This was going to work out. It just had to. They were kissing and hugging again. They did that a lot. It made Rachel feel really safe that Cass and Shelby acted like they did with each other. She also liked it when they were affectionate. But enough was enough. She had a question and she wanted to ask it before the food got here.

"Shelby? If Cassie is Mama, who are you?" the brunette asked, crawling the length of the bed and pushing the two apart enough that she could push her way between them.

The older women laughed.

"I suppose I would be Mom then, wouldn't I? Unless you think you're too old to call me Mommy?" Shelby said, thoughtfully. It wasn't as if the thought had never crossed her mind about what her biological daughter would call her and Cassie, it's just that it'd been a long time since she'd really thought about exactly what their lives would be like.

"But you aren't old! I can't call you Mom. You don't even have grey hair or bags under your eyes," Rachel gave Shelby her logic, looking up at her critically.

Cassie snorted amused. Rachel ignored her though. She was serious.

"No, you look like a mommy," Rachel gave Shelby her opinion.

"Well I'm glad you don't think I'm old, Rachel. You can call me Mommy if that's what you want." Shelby smiled.

"Do we have to wait till the blood test?" Rachel asked tentatively. "Is that when it will be allowed?"

"Oh, no, sweetie," Shelby whispered, reassuringly. "You can call us Mama and Mommy whenever you want to. Whether you're mine biologically or not, you're our daughter, alright? As long as you want us to be your mommies-you know what, even if you don't at this point, it's just too bad. You've stolen our hearts, little girl. You're ours..." On the word ours, Shelby let out a joking growl and started tickling the girl.

"So what do you call me then? What do mommies call their daughters?" Rachel laughed as she was being tickled. She wanted to tickle back but was not sure it was allowed. So instead she just shrieked in pleasure, reaching her arms around her mommy and pulling her down on the bed.

A good snuggle with her mommies. What Rachel did not count on was the fact that she got squished.

"Ahh!" she laughed even though she was squished. "Help I'm being crushed." her tone was half teasing half serious.

Shelby and Cass moved away so they wouldn't squish her.

"We call you whatever you want us to call you, silly." Cassie explained to her.

"It's more of what I don't want to be called," Rachel answered in a suddenly very quiet serious voice.

The conversation had gone from teasing to serious in seconds and Cassie and Shelby gave each other a wide eyed look of deep concern.

"What don't you want to be called, sweetheart?" Cassie asked her

"Bastard, dirty little girl, slut," Rachel said quietly. Her response would have been longer, except there was another face that appeared in the doorway.

It was the lawyer from earlier, the one that had given her the bear. She was holding food but she made no mention of that when she stepped in the bedroom. Holly's focus was only on what Rachel was telling them.

Rachel noticed the blonde in the doorway. Her eyes widened and she stopped talking, starting to chew on her hair again.

Of course, Rachel told Holly she was able to trust and believe in her, but she was still new. She didn't know or feel as comfortable with Holly as she was with Cassie and Shelby. She didn't want to spill everything that had happened to her. Not all at once

Shelby knew Holly was in the doorway but chose to ignore not only that but the fact that she saw the red box with the yellow golden arches than meant one thing...fast food and unhealthy eating habits in children. For now she let that slide and decided to address her daughter. Rachel needed to know just that. Biological or heart child, Rachel was her daughter.

"Rachel, honey, we would never call you anything so horrible. I hope you understand that. A true family, true parents, treat their daughter with love and acceptance and kind names. Cassie and I will always be that for you." Shelby promised her, trying to instill the information into the young one's brain, though she knew that this would most likely not be the only time she had to try to convince the girl of it. Rachel had been through too much to be so automatically believing, this Cassie and Shelby knew very well.

"I like that. I like it when you call me honey, sweetie and sweetheart," Rachel looked over at Shelby who was propped up on her elbow stroking Rachel's hair. "What are you going to call me, Cassie? It's got to be something spectacular."

"Hmm. Well spectacular IS my middle name." she tickled Rachel's side.

"Actually it's Vivian," Shelby pointed out, menacingly. Cassie put her hand over Shelby's mouth.

"Hush you. Let me think on it, okay, kiddo?" she said to the girl.

"I want to be your star?" Rachel whispered under her breath. She was certain nobody heard her.

But Cassie did hear her, though she wouldn't admit it at the time. That would take all of the magic out of the name when Cassie called her that later.

_It is brilliant._ Cassie thought to herself. _She's so bright. She's my shining star._

"Let me think on that Rachel. These things can't be rushed after all and I smell French fries," Cassie leaned over and kissed the little brunette's cheek. The blonde dare not look at the older brunette, for the blonde knew she was going to get an earful. McDonalds sort of completely went against Shelby's health standards-particularly for a growing girl.

As they all stood, they met Holly at the door. Cassie kissed her cheek in greeting and Shelby kissed her cheek in thanks.

"Thank you for getting us dinner, Hol. But why, may I ask, did you get my daughter greasy, stomach destroying, fattening McDonalds?" she couldn't ignore it anymore. Attention to it had to be called.

"Already calling her your daughter, huh?" Holly ignored the part about McDonalds.

"She is our daughter," was Shelby's response. "So I repeat, why did you buy her food that will give her a heart attack?"

Holly shrugged. "Your wife was the one who placed all orders, I'm just the delivery gal, hot stuff." she handed Cassie the bag of McDonalds and carried the Subway bags out to the kitchen.

"Cassandra Vivian July—" Shelby was in the middle of chastising the blonde before the blonde spun around and kissed her wife passionately, to shut her up.

"No," Shelby pulled back. "No, kissing me doesn't fix this."

Holly and Rachel had continued walking to the kitchen while, thanks to Cassandra's abrupt kiss, Cassie and Shelby remained in the hallway.

"Are you sure about that?" Cassie pressed Shelby up against the back wall and kissed her again. If they were any closer to one another they'd be the same person.

"Yes, I'm—"

Her voice was muffled against Cassandra's mouth. "You sneaky," Cassie kissed her again. "Little—"

"She's a little kid," Cassie broke away from the kiss. "Let her have it this once."

"Fine." Shelby grumped, smacking Cassie's ass. "You're lucky."

"Am I?" they made their way out to the kitchen to see that Rachel and Holly had already started eating.

"Quite." Shelby sat down and unwrapped her sub, taking a bite.

"Mommy, look I got a toy with my dinner!" Rachel held up a little stuffed beanie baby. It was a white kitten. She was very excited to have another toy, besides Elphie, to call her own. Even if it was small. "I don't know what to name her yet."

Cass gave her wife a condescending look, as if to say, see, this was a better idea than your healthy Subway. Shelby smiled at Rachel and gave Cassandra a sideways glance.

"That's very cool, Rachel. Name her whatever you want to, sweetie."

"I can name her Glinda, like Elphie's friend!" Rachel suddenly got very excited. "That's it, I'll name her Glinda and she and Elphie will be best friends."

"Sounds like a plan, kiddo. How do you like your French fries?" Cass asked of her.

"They're really good." Rachel spoke with her mouth full. "Thank you. I'm not used to eating so much all the time."

"You'd better get used to it, buttercup." Holly rubbed the girls back. "Your mommies are going to take good care of you." She smiled at her best friends, who, for the first time in a long time, seemed truly truly happy. She knew she had to fight with them to keep their bliss. She had to help fight for everyone involved. They all deserved this family.

. . .

"Just a blood test my ass," the doctor grumped out loud softly. As April Rhodes looked at the topics that she had pulled up when the doctor googled "Hiram and LeRoy Berry" this young girl's first parents. The blonde scanned some of the entries.

_This shit had been big news_, April started to recollect when this hit the papers. This girl was pulled out of the home at three years old who was severely malnourished and abused. The men, who the young girl called her "daddies" were two gay men who did not have legal custody of the child. It showed that the girl had been purchased illegally out of a home for unwed mothers in Columbus. Both men were in prison now and the girl had entered the system.

"The article speculated the child may have been illegally removed from her mother's custody. But the records had disappeared from the Home of Unwed Mothers and the Home shut down shortly after the Berry's arrest," April read, already knowing that her night of a glass of wine with her girlfriend in the Jacuzzi tub may be quite late. "And Holly suspects this child had been abused further by her foster father, whom she ran from. I am going to need some pictures and documentation to get a better idea of what is the most recent abuse." April pushed back from her computer on her stool and spun around, looking around for where in the hell she could have left her cell phone. It was on the exam table. She checked watch. It was 4:30 pm. Stef would be leaving the station at 5:00, she still could catch her.

"What do you want this time, dear April?" Stef answered tiredly, "I have been late to family dinner the last three nights. I have been threatened within an inch of my life if I don't make it home tonight by six. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow!"

"Now Darling, is that any way to talk about your dear friend who stiches you and your children up? A friend who has backed you're ass with the system on multiple occasions…" April said bluntly but with her gentle lilt of a mid-western accent. "I need something, yes, but so do a couple of equally dear friends of you and your wife. I can't go into a lot of detail except that this is for Shelby and Cass, Holly is involved and I need copies of the police file on Rachel Berry, victim of Hiram and Leroy Berry. It would have been an abuse case from about five years ago."

"Well you got yourself into another hornet's nest, April. I remember that case. I remember that little girl," Stef said on the phone, "You owe me and you'd best get me involved in this at your earliest opportunity. The law gives you five days but I know you won't make me pull rank on you."

"You're a doll. Bring me the file on your way home," April gave the police officer and kiss through the phone and hung up. "Just a DNA test indeed."

. . .

It was time for them to take Rachel to the clinic. The last time she had been in a car was when she was riding in the back of the Reverend's car on the way to church. They would go sing, pray, the Reverend would talk about being holy, and repenting from sin, and then the Reverend would come and beat her. Holly was driving her Volvo. Cass rode in the front seat with her. Shelby sat in the backseat beside Rachel. Rachel was glad she did not have to sit in the backseat alone.

"How far is this place?" Rachel asked, fidgeting with her fingers. Shelby placed her hands over Rachel's, to try to calm the girl down.

"Not far, honey. Try to relax, okay?"

"Okay." she tried to, she really did. But wasn't sure how. She knew a clinic was a doctor's office, and she could not STAND those.

Rachel thought back to her other times in cars. It was usually in the back of police cars. Rachel really hated police cars. They smelled funny and had bars on them. It was like a jail on wheels.

"No cops there?" Rachel asked needing assurance.

"Not usually, Rachel," Shelby told her. "Unless Stef will be meeting us there?" she asked of April.

"Wait a minute, not usually, I want to go to the mansion. No cops. They don't understand. They never listen to what you say," Rachel spoke very fast as she started to breathe fast quick breaths.

Rachel reached for her seatbelt to take it off.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey," Shelby stopped her hurriedly. "First of all, sweetie, you can't take your seat belt off when the car is moving. Secondly, even if Stef is there, she is a good cop who has been helping us, okay? She will understand. You have to calm down."

"There is no such thing as a good cop!" Rachel said, feeling her panic now being matched by anger at such a ridiculous statement. Rachel reached over and started playing with the door handle. All reason had been lost when hearing that a police officer might be at this clinic.

Holly quickly pulled over to the side so that if and when Rachel managed to escape her seatbelt (she wouldn't be able to get the door open with it being locked and all), she wouldn't get hurt.

Actually managing to undo her seatbelt, Rachel started beating on the car door.

"Rachel," Shelby tried to pull her back and calm her, but the girl continued. "Rachel. Rachel, stop. Calm down."

"COPS AREN'T SAFE, THEY'RE GOING TO SEND ME BACK, THEY'LL SEND ME BACK YOU PROMISED, SHELBY, YOU PROMISED I WOULDN'T GO BACK THERE YOU PROMISED ME!" she continued to pound the door and jiggle the handle.

Shelby was really afraid that Rachel was going to hurt herself and then the girl would really need a doctor. It would be more than the simple test they were supposed to be going for.

"Stef's not going to be there, no cops will be there, Rachel," Holly spun around to try to comfort her. "She won't, okay? I'll make sure no cops will be there. Just April and a few other doctors."

"YOU PROMISED, YOU PROMISED SHELBY YOU PROMISED ME"

Shelby knew words were not really working. Since the car was stopped, the singer undid Rachel's seatbelt herself. In one fluid motion, Shelby pulled Rachel in her lap and guided Rachel's head to her shoulder. While Rachel was strong and fought her for a moment, Shelby was stronger. The fight left her when Shelby started to hum and rub her back. Only when she calmed and lay against Shelby passively did the dancer speak.

"Rachel Baby, Mommy is not going to let anybody touch you or hurt you again," the singer whispered into Rachel's hair, ending her words with a gentle kiss.

"Don't let them take me away Mommy," Rachel, whimpered into Shelby's hair. "You're my mommy now they can't can they?"

"Shhhh, mommy has got you. You, Cassie and I are a family now. But Baby we have to get that test ok?" Shelby reassured and asked Rachel for understanding. Shelby needed Rachel's trust. When Rachel did not answer, Shelby looked down. The little girl had given her absolute trust it seemed, Rachel was sound asleep in her arms.

Cassie looked at Holly and the two friends shared a conversation without speaking. They were only a block away from the clinic. They would let Rachel sleep and not move her out of Shelby's lap till they had too. Shelby seemed not very inclined to let go of Rachel at the moment anyway.

Holly started her Volvo back up and drove the short distance till she parked her car in the parking lot for the clinic. It was 6:55 PM. The time they had agreed upon was 7:00PM.

For a moment, the only sound in the car was of Shelby's humming. Cassie looked in the rearview mirror, concerned. This was a big moment for both of her brunette's.

Casting another glance over at Holly, Cassandra wasn't entirely sure they should even wake Rachel. Were they ready for another fight? Another battle?

The blonde sighed. She knew going into this that nothing about adopting this broken little girl was going to be easy. She turned around and looked at the quiet, trusting, sleeping face lying in her wife's lap. It was worth it, she knew. All of this would be worth it.

_Just take it one step at a time, July._ She told herself. _One step at a time._

"Shelby," Cass whispered. "Sweetheart, we have to wake her."

"She's so scared," Shelby whispered back, holding Rachel close. Rachel wasn't the only one who was nervous. Shelby could feel her own heart pounding loudly against her chest. What was this test going to reveal? What wouldn't it reveal? How would that make everyone feel?

Shelby had always been one to worry about things like that.

"Okay, we don't have to wake her up just yet. She may wake up on her own when we get outside though, honey," Cassie told her wife, getting out of the car and then opening the back door where Shelby sat holding Rachel. The blonde opened the door and looked at the two of her girls.

_There is no way that these two are not related,_ Cassie felt deep down in her heart.

"Shelby honey, let me take Rachel from your arms so you can get out of the car," Cassie spoke to her wife in the same gentle way she had the day before. It was clear that both brunette's needed that gentle care right now.

Shelby usually hated being treated so gently. It was something that she and Cassie had discussed when they first got together. Both were strong and competitive and hated being babied. However, today, even though it wasn't the 18th, Shelby didn't feel like being closed off, and she didn't mind being babied. She felt open. Vulnerable. And she was nervous.

And Cassie's tone with her made her feel...whole. Sane.

Slowly, she passed Rachel onto Cassie and got out of the car.

Rachel stirred only briefly as her tiny body hit the December Ohio chill when she was moved to Cassie's arms. Cassie carried her with one hand cradling her back and the other arm under Rachel's knees. Cassie smiled at the troubled but innocent sleeping face. She kissed Rachel's head, lovingly. Cassie's heart had been captured by this kid already. Cass looked over, checking on her wife.

"I'm here for you, Shelbs." Holly told her. "You know that, don't you?"

Shelby nodded. "I know. Thank you. You've already done so much, I don't want to overwhelm you with-"

"Hush, you. That's why I'm here." Holly pulled her closer and they all walked into the clinic, hoping that Rachel wouldn't wake up and freak out. They didn't want her to flip out of Cassie's arms or do anything horrible, but they also didn't want to scare her.

Holly was totally astounded watching her dear friend with Rachel. Holly very, very rarely saw this soft gentle side of the dancer. It was usually only on December 18 also. Cassie was now the picture of calm and patience. Her face was serene, almost, and it was clear that Rachel and she had bonded.

Cass hummed softly to Rachel. Rachel moved her head just enough so that she found herself a nice pillow.

"Now you are stealing Shelby's favorite pillow too kid," Cassie looked over at Shelby and Holly. "She is a breast girl," Cassie tried joking. There was no laughter but Shelby did smile a soft smile.

She knew her wife was trying to make her feel better. Her goal was accomplished, a little bit at least.

At this point, Shelby was trying to figure out how they were going to introduce Rachel to April without freaking her out. Though April was great with children, Rachel was not in the best of moods. Besides that, she was still very asleep in Cassandra's arms.

Holly picked her phone as they walked the short distance on the sidewalk. The lawyer figured a little warning would be appreciated by her girlfriend. That, and she wanted to see if Stef may be hanging around in the clinic. Holly hoped not.

April picked up the phone on the first ring. She had seen Holly's Volvo's headlights shine into the clinic's big glass windows. The doctor listened to what her girlfriend was saying for a moment and then addressed her concerns.

"Yes Darling, it's quiet and no Stef is not here, Lena threatened her because she had been late to dinner the last three days," April Rhodes told her girlfriend. The blonde took her white lab coat off so she would not scare Rachel. "Don't worry, I have dealt with frightened children before, and if we can't calm her down, we can sedate her and spare her further trauma."

It was decided they should get her into the building before doing anything else so that's what they did. April met them at the door with a smile and a gentle kiss to the lawyer's cheek.

Since they were the only patients there, Holly led them straight to a room and they laid Rachel down on the table, her head hitting the soft pillow. When Cassie let go of her, she woke immediately.

Worried and terrified, Rachel sat straight up and looked at Shelby. "What's going on?" she asked. "Where am I?" her heart beat fast. Her words were spoken frantically.

Shelby reached down and set her hand on Rachel's arm, in attempt to comfort her. "We're at the clinic, sweetheart, you have to calm down, please."

"Are there police here? Are they here?!" She spun her head from side to side, trying to find any policemen or women. "You promised, Shelby, you promised they wouldn't take me-"

Rachel was literally climbing up Shelby's body. Her hands pushed inside Shelby's coat, trying to get closer. Shelby's coat was cumbersome and she could not hear her heartbeat. Shelby was wearing a scarf and she wanted to feel the singer's skin on her hands.

"Rachel, sweetheart, please calm down." Shelby's heart beat faster.

_What am I doing?!_ She asked herself. I don't know the first thing about raising a daughter. _What was I thinking? I can't even get her to trust me and calm down...this was a terrible idea._

Shelby cast a worried, wide eyed glance at Cassie, tears brimming her eyes, begging her wife for help.

"Mommy, hold me!"

Shelby's self-doubt ended with this simple plea. She did not miss this girl was calling her Mommy. Her heart melted. She held Rachel tightly. "I've got you, sweetheart, I've got you but you have to stop moving, okay? Stop moving and calm down. Take a deep breath. A very deep breath. Breathe in, breathe out. Do you want me to sing to you?"

"I want, I want. I can't feel you or, or, hear your heartbeat," Rachel tried to get out. It was hard because she was breathing so fast. The little girl's face had flushed and she was sweating from fear.

"Rachel," Shelby moved towards the table and sat Rachel down, holding her legs so she would stay sitting and put her hands on each side of the girl's face, which was bright red with panic. "Take a deep breath."

Rachel was still kicking and moving but Shelby held her firmly to the table.

"Rachel, trust me." she took Rachel's hand and placed it over her heart so she could feel it. It was beating rapidly, though not quite as rapidly as Rachel's was. "Can you feel my heartbeat now? It's beating quickly like yours is. We both need to relax, okay?"

Shelby looked over at Cassie and mouthed the word help. At this rate, Rachel was going make herself sick. Already, the hair around her face was becoming wet with sweat. Rachel was half clawing at Shelby in desperation and half fighting having to remain seated.

Cassie looked at April who was now in the door way. Rachel was upsetting Shelby, too. Cass could tell by how pale Shelby seemed to be getting. The singer seemed to be taking on Rachel's panic herself.

The blonde moved to stand behind her wife, wrapping an arm around the panicked brunette's waist, and placing the other hand softly over Rachel's other free hand.

"Rachel, please calm down," Cassie whispered. "We can't accomplish anything if you're panicking like this. There are no police here. The only people here is everyone that's in this room now." She turned and pointed at April in the doorway. "This is our friend April. She's a very nice, very good doctor and she's going to help us but you have to let her."

Cassie could feel Shelby's breathing was a bit uneven now, as well.

"Rachel, please, you're scaring Shelby as well, honey."

"Cant, Cant, Can't breathe," Rachel tried to tell Cassie. It was hard though. Because everything was getting foggy. "Bad, Bad, I repent." Rachel saw a paper bag coming towards her and panicked. The young girl could not see faces anymore. She only saw shadow and arms.

Rachel jerked back away from the bag and fell off the exam table, being caught by Shelby. What had been in Rachel's stomach spilled out of her mouth and onto the floor.

"Don't hurt me. No mean to hurt Shelby," Rachel fought to speak as she struggled to breathe.

"Let her go," Cassie said worriedly, pulling Shelby back. "Let her try to relax on her own."

"I'm sorry, Shelby. I think Rachel needs something to calm her down," April told her friend. The doctor had gone into her medical professional mode the minute Rachel woke up. Rachel was in full panic. The girl had thrown up, was having trouble breathing and from the stain on the floor she was pretty sure she had wet herself. Rachel's state was effecting Shelby as well. The older brunette was practically shaking herself.

Casting a furtive, guilty glance at Rachel, Shelby looked back at April and nodded slowly. "Relax her." She whispered. "I can't do it alone."

"Can you hold her arm steady?" April asked, getting a sedative ready.

A tear slid from Shelby's cheek as she nodded, holding Rachel's arm in place and trying to get her to stop moving around. "Rachel please." She whispered.

"Don't let her touch me!" Rachel yelled. "Mommy, please!"

"Rachel...I'm so sorry..." Shelby didn't know what or how to feel anymore. She was torn, she was concerned, and she was exhausted. She felt so...defeated. Like she couldn't do what she thought she could.

"Slight pinch, Rachel," April warned.

"Mommmmmmyyyyyy," Rachel murmured as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Someone was carrying her. Her body felt funny and her mind fuzzy. "Mommmmmmmmyyyy," Rachel's asked, her speech now slurred.

"Mommy's here baby. Can you relax your breathing?" Shelby asked a bit shakily as she walked beside Holly, who was carrying Rachel. Shelby held onto Rachel's hand as they walked towards a clean exam room.

"Wait here a moment, ok?" Holly told the dancer and singer gently before coming in the room to help April.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Maybe it's better this way. We can do what we need to do and they can document it without Rachel getting more upset. She won't have to go through this again." Cassie told Shelby who had a guilty expression. Cassie knew what Shelby was thinking about it and nipped it in the bud, using her curt sharp voice she used so very often when teaching. "You are not a bad mother. Nobody could have calmed Rachel down. You cared enough that you did not want Rachel to suffer anymore. Do you hear me, Corcoran?" Cassie spoke sharply, but cradled her wife's chin gently to look into her eyes.

"I know, but it hurts to see her so scared. I want her to be mine so bad Cassie," Shelby admitted. "And when I know I want to hurt all of those people that abused her and lock them up so they never see the light of day again."

By the time Shelby and Cassie entered the exam room, Rachel was in a hospital gown with an oxygen mask in place. Her color was better and she was breathing easier.

"She's going to feel like we tricked her." Shelby whispered, putting her hand over her mouth. "She's going to feel like we betrayed her, and Cassie, she'll be right."

"No, we did not betray her, we did not trick her, Shelby, she agreed to this."

"And then she begged for me to hold her, and she wanted us to stop and we didn't stop. We're no better than the damn Reverend." Shelby had another tear in her eye.

"Shelby Corcoran, look at me." Cassie spun her around and pulled her close. Shelby refused to take her eyes off of Rachel, who looked so defeated. "Look at me, Shelby."

Reluctantly, Shelby did so.

"She wants this just as much as you and I do, okay? You know she does. I never, ever want to hear you compare yourself to that horrible, horrible man ever again, okay? We are NOTHING like him. Nothing. It's called tough love sweetheart," Cassie told Shelby pushing some dark hair behind her ear so she could lean into it and whisper into it privately. "And does that look like she hates us?" Cassie whispered into the delicate ear, nuzzling it. "The kid is half drunk and the minute we walked into the room she extended her hand in our direction and she is currently calling for Mommy."

"Okay." Shelby whispered. She wasn't entirely convinced, but at this point what choice did she have, really? She made her way over to Rachel and clasped the girl's hand, warmly, tightly. "I'm not going anywhere, Rachel. I'm so sorry, sweetie. I'm here. I'm here. We're here."

The reassurance seemed to be just enough that Rachel gave into the drug and allowed herself to drift off.

April looked over at Cass and Shelby, then back down at Rachel.

"She is fine. When she wakes up she more than likely will not remember this. So Shelby love, don't you dare feel guilty about the sedation," April said with a soft smile. "It's a kindness since Stef brought over her chart and I need to check this kid over for both physical and sexual abuse."

"She's been through the ringer, April," Cassie let her friend know. "She's mentioned that the Revered abused her in both ways, and her "daddies" physically abused her horribly."

Holly, who was holding Rachel's bear, Elphie, set the bear down on the other side of the young girl, kissing the girl's forehead. "She really does have a way of making you love her, though. How could those men be so...inhumane?"

"I don't know." Cassie shook her head, darkly. "But if I ever find them I'll kill them."

"Cassie," Shelby warned, her tone of voice serious. "Don't say that. I don't need you going to jail, too. I know how you feel about these men, I feel the same way. But you know you can't kill them."

"But if I could-"

"You still wouldn't. Because you're better than that."

"Shelbs, Cassandra, I am not going to make you leave her. You have every right and I understand if you want to be here for the examination but I want to strongly suggest that you go get yourselves a cup of coffee in the break room," April said gently. "Holly and I know the drill for this. I am going to call another nurse in here also. Rachel is sound asleep and will not wake up." April walked over and pulled Shelby in a warm hug, "One of my nurses is in the break room, let her go ahead and take your blood sample for the test. I am going to do the same with Rachel while she is sedated. And I strongly suggest you call Stef while you wait and bring her up to speed. She knows what is going on and wants to help." April said patting Cassie's shoulder and pushing both Broadway stars out of the room.

"Is it just me, or did that feel like she was definitely making us leave her?" Cassie said after they'd left the room.

"Rachel's in good hands, Cassie. She'll be okay. April's right. We have other things to accomplish or we'll be here all night."

They made it into the break room and sat down, meeting the nurse that April was talking about. He silently took Shelby's blood. Shelby looked away from the needle and spoke to Cassie, feeling the pinch as the needle went in but only wincing at the feeling. "We do need to call Stef."

Knowing April's immediate staff knew that the two stars had been coming in and why, Cassandra asked the nurse what was on her mind, "How soon can we know something?" that was her main concern, not calling Stef.

The male nurse looked up after writing Shelby's name and birthdate on the vial of blood.

"We do all our own stuff here after the clinic closes. Dr. Rhodes already told our people she wants this rushed. I'd say in the morning Dr. Rhodes could contact you," the nurse told the blonde.

_In the morning._ Cassie thought to herself. _Only until morning. We can wait until morning. Damn, it's going to be a long night._

"Will Dr. Rhodes call us or would it be okay if we call her?" Shelby asked, not wanting to have to wait for a phone call. It would drive her crazy and she would have no ability to function on getting ready for the dress rehearsal.

_Dress rehearsal,_ Shelby suddenly realized. _Rachel has nothing to wear that is appropriate for the Winter Concert._

"I'm sure she will call you as soon as she can," he answered her.

"You can call me day or night at any time Shelby," April came into the room with a vial of blood which she handed her nurse. "You both know that. Though I really won't know anything till I stop by here with Holly on my way to your house. And you are fixing me breakfast after all Darlin."

"Okay." Shelby smiled softly. She never questioned April. There was never any need to. With her, you just had to go with the flow of things.

"Go get your baby dressed mom, I think you are about ready to go. We cleaned her up best we could. I pulled out some of those pajamas we keep around here, so she will have something to wear home," April told Shelby who disappeared the moment she was given permission too.

That left April standing there with Cassie.

"Call Stef, Cass, she is on OUR side. She was on the call that originally found Rachel those years back when they took her from Mr. Berry." April explained, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "And Holly will be coming back here after she drops you off. She owes me a surf and turf from my favorite restaurant."

"I'll call her," Cass promised her. "I will. But I'll have to do it while Rachel's asleep tonight. If she found out I was talking to a police officer…whether Stef is on our side or not, Rachel doesn't think so…I'll pay for your dinner and the best wine they have," Cassandra told her friend, quickly pulling out her wallet. April pushed the wallet back refusing the cash.

"Cassie, darling, go get your daughter and wife and go home," April said. "You are such a perfect family and you are already doing so well with that dear little girl. Go cuddle, shoo! So Holly can take me to dinner sooner. It's our six month anniversary today."

"Damn it, I knew Shelby and I were forgetting something…We could've done all of this tomorrow night. I'm so sorry—"

"Shh. Stop worrying so much, Darlin." April winked at her. "Everything works out, okay?"

Cassandra sighed, vowing to try her best to believe her.


	13. Nighttime Conversations with Princesses

**So, we wrote some late night fluff and we felt that it was too precious and moving to be apart of the big reveal and rehearsal chapters, so we made it it's own sort of prelude in-between chapter.**

**Anyways we hope you enjoy the surprise update and promise the reveal is next. **

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley**

**Chapter 13: Nighttime Conversations with Princesses**

Barbra July crept through the mansion, making her way through her nightly check on her domain. A new room had been added to her route. It was a door that had been previously closed but now had been opened. The cat's new young friend, Rachel, occupied it. She was there now. But first, Barbra had to go check on her mistress and her mate. The Siamese pawed the door that was cracked open and stepped inside quietly. Up in the bed the two women breathed deeply. Her mistress held her mate in her arms. Her mistress and mate had talked along time in bed and then kicked her out of the room and shut the door. They did that sometimes when they were in bed. When they cracked the door open again, Barbra could have gone back in, but by then she was busy checking on things downstairs. Now, however, she was back.

With a quick hop, Barbra was on the bed with her Cassie and Shelby, at their feet. The cat walked up Cassie's body literally until she was off of Cassie's feet and over Shelby's back and onto Cassie's pillow. Barbra purred and licked the blonde's cheek with her rough tongue.

"Off Barbra, I love you too," Cassie told her without opening her eyes. Barbra had heard this enough that she got the message. She hopped off the bed and exited the room.

Next, Barbra went across the hall. Her new friend was not asleep though. She was sitting in the window seat, staring out the window.

"Ohh, hi Barbra," Rachel whispered to her cat friend. "I was just wishing on a star."

The cat purred again, nuzzling her head into Rachel's hand so she would pet her.

"Did you want to know what I was wishing, Barbra?" Rachel asked the cat.

"I guess it's okay to tell you because it you are not a person," Rachel explained, scratching the cat under her chin. "Not that it matters," Rachel quickly added, "You are my best friend," Rachel announced to the Siamese.

Though it was totally unnecessary, Rachel leaned down and whispered into the animal's ear.

"Do you think you can keep that a secret? I think you can, 'cause you're just a little kitten." Rachel patted the kitten's head and scratched her behind the ears.

"I wished on that star right below the moon over there. It's the bright one, see?" Rachel told the cat who leaned into the little girl's pointed finger. "I wished that I was that baby that grew in Shelby's stomach. I wished that she and I had been together before. That we had been connected, even."

Rachel sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"Do you think that's a good wish, Barbra?" she sniffed again and whispered softly. "I don't know, though. I'm not sure if that wish can come true. I just want it to come true so badly," Rachel told her feline friend who was still rubbing into her side affectionately. "I mean, have you looked at Shelby? She looks like me. I think so, anyway. I could almost pretend that I grew in her stomach and was hers once."

Rachel patted her lap and Barbra crawled right into it. The cat circled, and then sat down.

"I know you probably knew your mother, Barbra. You probably had lots of brothers and sisters. You could look at them and see who you looked like. You could say, "That's my mom." You had someone who you belonged to. The only person I have ever belonged to was myself."

"Maybe for once I can belong to someone and they won't make me their slave. They'll make me their daughter. Shelby and Cassie will. Won't that be great?" Rachel asked her little friend. "Barbra, is Cassie a good mommy to you? I think she'll be a good mommy, but I think she's scared to be. But it's okay. Even though I want to actually be a daughter, I'm scared to be, too."

"And Shelby looks after you too. She gets up early to feed you even before Cassie gets out of bed. She also makes sure you don't even bad things and get sick," Rachel told her friend who was sitting in her lap purring.

"Shelby is really afraid of me because I remind her of her daughter. Thing is Barbra, I really feel deep, deep, deep down inside that I am," Rachel told the cat. "And that Barbra is my big, don't you tell or go to hell secret ok?"

The cat meowed at her, and she took that as a yes.

"Okay. I trust you not to tell anyone that. Especially not Shelby and Cassie. You know," Rachel continued to stare out the window. "Tomorrow is a big day, and the next day even bigger. I'm not really sure I fit into this life. I don't even have anything to wear. Nothing like a princess gown I'm sure Shelby and Cassie will wear."

"Something like Cinderella at the ball; that's probably what Shelby will be wearing," Rachel pretended in her head. "Cassie would be dressed like Sleeping Beauty. They both will sing real beautiful too. They have not said exactly if I am allowed to go? Do you think I can go with them Barbra?"

"I think I will probably maybe be allowed. Maybe if Holly goes I can sit with her? I think I like Holly, Barbra. I think I trust her."

"Barbra, do you think Cassie is awake? Do you think I could call her Mama and she would let me? I want her to be my protector tonight," Rachel asked the cat. "I feel scared and I want to know if I can go to the concert. I just don't want her to get mad at me," she whispered into the cat's ear. "Do you think she will? I don't want to bother Shelby, either. I know she's been sad lately. Especially yesterday..."

"But Shelby is like a big hug and she smells like sunshine. She does not smell like sweat and smelly socks like the Reverend did?" Rachel told Barbra. The little girl really felt she could tell the cat anything.

"You know Barbra you are a good friend and I feel I can tell you anything," Rachel stroked Barbra under her chin again. "You also make me feel brave, I am going to go get my bear out of the bed and go into Cassie and Shelby's bedroom. I will be real quiet though and just whisper in Mama's ear."

"I just don't want her to get mad at me is all?" Rachel slowly walked out of her bedroom and made her way to Shelby and Cassie's room.

Rachel clutched her teddy bear tightly to her chest. Around her small body, Rachel had wrapped the fuzzy blanket with the stars on it around her.

She crept in quietly or at least she tried to. The door had a slight squeak. Neither woman stirred to. They looked so peaceful when they were asleep. Barbra sat at the door as if to help her be brave. Rachel moved to Cassie's side of the bed and bent down on her knees. She held her bear tightly and pulled the blanket up her back. She moved it till it was on the top of her head and the only thing showing was her face. It made her feel like safer and braver.

"Mama?" Rachel whispered bending down so close that her breath would be warm against Cassie's ear.

Cassie's eyes fluttered open immediately. "Rachel?" she whispered, spinning around and spying the little girl, adorable as ever, wrapped in her star blanket and clutching Elphie to her chest. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

The blonde was absolutely exhausted, but if Rachel needed to talk to her then she was definitely going to be awake.

"Am I allowed to go to the concert? I don't have anything pretty like a ball gown to wear. I won't be as pretty as you or Shelby." She whispered it all into Cassie's ear, biting her lip nervously as she did so.

"Of course you're invited, Rachel!" Cassie told her, reaching her arm out so that Rachel could take her hand. "You're our little star. Our special guest. And Shelby and I are going to get you a super amazing princess ball gown and it's going to be prettier than mine and Shelby's put together."

"I don't think that's true." Rachel whispered. "I can't be as pretty as you or Shelby."

"That's what's untrue, Rachel." Cassie whispered. "You are so much prettier than me and Shelby."

Rachel's little eyes sparkled. "You really think so?"

Cassie nodded. "I really do, honey. You're the prettiest princess of all. And all princesses need their beauty sleep."

"Does that mean I have to go to bed?" Rachel asked.

"I'm afraid so, Rach." Cass let her know.

After contemplating for a moment, Rach asked, "Can you come tuck me in?"

Cassie smiled softly, turning over and kissing Shelby's cheek before pulling the covers off of her and taking Rachel's hand. "Lead the way, your highness." she whispered.

Rachel led her to her star bedroom and hopped up into the bed. Carefully, lovingly, Cassie pulled the blanket up over Rachel and took her star blanket, getting into the bed with her and wrapping it around both of them. "There." she said softly. "Are we comfortable enough to sleep, do you think?"

Rachel nodded.

"Good." Cassie smiled. "Then let's, okay?"

So they did. And when Shelby reached out an hour later and didn't feel her lover next to her, she got up to investigate. She found her cuddling in the bed with Rachel. Both princesses fast asleep.

With a small smile, Shelby walked toward them and tapped on Cassie's but. "Scoot over, you." she whispered to her sleeping princess of a wife.

Cassie groaned softly in her sleep and moved forward so that Shelby could scoot in behind her. Wrapping her arms around her royal sweetheart, Shelby snuggled against her and the three of them slept peacefully.


	14. Morning Talks and Biological Daughters

**Here it is, the big emotional reveal. **

**Let us know what you think! We hope you like it as much as we liked writing it last night.**

**I, Hayley, am going downstate this weekend as of right after school tomorrow and won't be back until Sunday. Therefore, please don't expect another chapter this weekend because I won't have any time to work on it. The soonest we'll probably start to work on the next part (which is the final dress rehearsal) will be sometime next week.**

**Thank you for your patience and understanding, and for sticking with us and these characters and loving them as much as we do.**

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley**

**Chapter 14: Morning Talks and Biological Daughters**

The feeling of anxiety teased Rachel Berry awake. She opened her eyes hesitantly, not sure what she was going to see. She remembered getting into the car. They were going somewhere. Rachel moved her eyes to the right and then to the left. Mama was holding her. Mommy was behind Mama. They were in the princess bed.

_That's funny, Shelby and Cassie are in the princess bed,_ Rachel thought to herself. _I am really glad they are, though._

A shiver ran through Rachel as she remembered where they were going. They were going to a clinic to get a test done. She had gotten scared. Then she did not remember anything else. It was like when she got in Cass and Shelby's bathtub. She had stopped remembering things till Shelby was combing her hair and she was clean.

Rachel really did not like not remembering; especially a scary place like a hospital or clinic.

She hoped she wouldn't remember.

She thought about it for a moment.

_But I want to know what happened at the clinic. I want to know if I'm Shelby's daughter. I want to know what sort of tests they did. And I want to know why we're in the Princess bed together._

So, hesitantly, she turned around and shook Cassie awake. "Mama," She whispered, shaking the blonde's shoulder. "_Mama_." She said again, with a bit more force this time.

Cassie fluttered her eyes open, feeling like she should probably get used to being awoken by the young girl. "Rachel. What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"What are you and Mommy doing?" Rachel asked.

"Um...sleeping...?" Cassie laughed lightly, unsure what question Rachel was really asking her.

Rachel did not think it was funny. As she woke up more, she found herself thinking about doctors and nurses and policeman that smelled of cigarettes. All of those things frightened Rachel very much. She knew she was in the princess bed and Cass and Shelby were too. That fact alone helped Rachel feel brave enough to share her feelings.

"I don't understand what is going on or what happened," Rachel said bluntly, trying to decide if she wanted to snuggle closer or jump out of bed and find a place to hide. "Are the cops going to take me away?"

"Honey," Cassie's face grew more serious as she realized that Rachel wasn't asking why they were in the princess bed, she was asking what she was still doing in the mansion as a whole. Apparently the girl had thought that after the clinic she was going to be taken away forever. What had she misinterpreted? "What are you talking about? No, the cops aren't going to take you away, why would they? You are perfectly safe here, my sweet." she caressed the young girl's face, putting a hand to the girl's forehead. She was getting worked up. "What's bothering you?"

Rachel scooted down under the covers. It was dark. She was used to the dark; it felt comfortable, usually. However, right now, she was not comforted. So, she scooted closer to Cassie. Cassie's body was warm and soft. With a tentative hand, Rachel reached around Cassie's body and tried to feel for Shelby. Rachel felt Shelby's gown and grasped hold of it tightly.

"Please, I don't remember," Rachel whispered from under the covers.

"Oh, Rachel," Cassie whispered softly. "Get out here, honey. I can remind you what happened. It was nothing bad, sweetheart, nothing at all bad." She decided she wasn't going to remind the youngster that she had to be sedated. It would only instill fear into her the next time she ever had to go to the clinic. Sort of a power of suggestion type of thing, if she thought she was going to need to be sedated the next time they went, she would be. If she knew that besides the sedation, things had gone well, and she hadn't had to do anything scary, she wouldn't be so afraid again.

"I remember being in Shelby's lap, that is all I remember," Rachel did not come out from under the covers. Secretly, she wanted either Cassie or Shelby to pull her out and hold her but she did not feel comfortable enough to say that. "Is Shelby not awake because she's scared from last night?"

Since the girl didn't come out from under the covers, and Cassie wasn't sure what she would do if she tried to pull her out, she did the next best thing and slipped underneath the covers with Rachel. Now that she was face to face with the girl, who had nervous tears streaming down her face, she wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"Shelby is not afraid, my sweet. She is just very tired. We've had a very long week, and it's been very taxing on Shelby both physically and emotionally. Performance week is always very tiring. What happened last night is this, Rachel: You were in Shelby's lap, and you were very nervous, but we promised you it would be okay, and it was. While April was testing your DNA, she also did a quick wellness check on you to make sure that you are healthy, so that if Child Protective Services decide to pay us a visit, they know that we aren't harming you in any way. Meanwhile, April had a nurse test Shelby's DNA. We haven't gotten an answer about the DNA test yet. We're hoping to sometime this morning."

"Promise? That was it?" Rachel asked. Rachel looked deeply in Cassie's eyes. The little girl had gotten pretty good at reading adults to tell if they were lying. She saw that this dancer was not, but she was not telling her one of the things she was worried about either. So she just closed her eyes and asked. "Did they check down there? Do they know he touched me? I don't want them to think you or Shelby did it. They never believe what I say anyway."

Rachel really wanted Shelby to wake up. She wanted them to be the bread and her the peanut butter again. Rachel clutched hard at Shelby's gown and pulled frantically. She wanted both Cass and Shelby.

Feeling her gown being pulled at, Shelby woke immediately, feeling that there was something very wrong. She could feel herself being practically dragged over top of her wife, and grabbed at Cassandra's waist to steady herself, wondering why her wife and little girl's heads were under the covers. She could hear their muffled voices as Cassie responded to Rachel,

"Yes, Rachel. They had to check, and they know what he did to you. But that gives them evidence so we can lock this man away for a very, very long time, okay? Now that they know what he's done-and that he's the one who did it-they'll make sure he never ever comes near you ever again. I promise."

That certainly got the singer's attention. She ducked her head below the covers to join the conversation. Obviously they were talking about what had happened the night before, at the clinic.

Rachel felt herself relax a little. Words she had kept silent burst out, "He touched me different than my Daddies. He went inside and it hurt. My Daddies just beat the outside of me," Rachel said in a graphic but childlike way. "Promise me that's all that happened? They won't go tell the Reverend he can pick me up? You have to say the words "I promise" out loud. Remember you have to say it out loud for it to be true," Rachel explained in her unique perspective of life and honesty. "Shelby has to wake up and say it too."

"Oh, sweetheart," Cassie hugged the girl securely, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as tears flew out of them faster than she could even attempt to wipe them away. She couldn't imagine the hurt and pain that this sweet, poor little girl had been through. She was so traumatized, and so abused. _Those bastards. That son of a bitch._ Cassie thought, weeping harder. Nothing in her life had ever affected her emotions so strongly. She'd never been so moved-or so compelled to kill a man-in her life. _How dare he touch this sweet, sweet child. How DARE he rape her. How DARE he EVER lay a hand on her. He'll NEVER touch her again. The son of a bitch will never SEE her again. He will never EVER touch her. He can NEVER hurt her..._

"I promise, okay?" Cassandra's voice cracked and she held Rachel close. "I promise that's all that happened." she had to tell her about the sedation, even a little bit. She was making a promise and intended to stick to it. She would be someone that Rachel could trust. "You had a little bit of a-" she inhaled sharply, desperate for a breath, "Panic attack, and they had to calm you down a bit. Then they did the tests on you and we took you home and we went to bed. The Reverend will NEVER touch you again. He'll never go inside, he'll never touch the outside either. As far as I'm concerned he'll never be able to see you again. I'm so sorry he ever got to you, my baby. I'm so, so sorry."

"She is just as bad, Cassie. She knew and did nothing. I don't want to see her either," Rachel told Cassie referring to the Reverend's wife. Rachel gave Shelby's gown another yank. She pulled hard. Cassie may be holding her but she wanted to be the peanut butter and they the bread. "So I can be your baby no matter what? What-ever the test says?" Rachel asked, needing reassurance.

Shelby fumbled again and nearly flipped over top of Cassie.

"I'm here, Rachel." She let the girl know. "I'm here, baby girl. And you are our baby no matter what. I promise you. You are ours. I don't care what any test says. I don't care what anybody else says. The Reverend and his wife will never touch you, they will never own you again. You belong to Cassie and me, Rachel. You're our baby no matter what."

Cassie sniffed and knew that Rachel wanted to be in between them. Holding onto Rachel, she flipped the both of them over so that Rachel could be between both women, and so that she could feel Shelby as well. So that she could be comforted by the brunette, too.

The older brunette studied her wife, carefully. She'd never seen Cassie so worked up over anything, and knew immediately that her heart now belonged to this child. She'd never seen her so upset. Never seen her so longing to make someone pay for what they've done.

Rachel wagged her finger at Shelby as she snuggled into Cassie. "You promise I am your baby? You got to say the words out loud." Rachel emphasized.

"I promise you are our baby, Rachel. I promise. Forever." Shelby told her.

Barbra pawed on the door and pushed it open. The Siamese could hear talking and talking meant breakfast. With a quick hop, she was on the bed. She walked across the pillow and started licking her mistress's blonde hair. The Siamese sensed her mistresses were upset. Breakfast was important but she was her people.

Sniffing once more, Cassie wiped the rest of her tears. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed. Usually, even though Shelby was just as strong and stubborn, Cassie was the one to keep things together. She was the protector and the rock, and she was the woman who rarely showed so much emotion. But this morning she couldn't help herself. The little girl whom she was now to protect had been through so very much that she hadn't been able to protect her from. That fact not only angered Cassie but made her feel guilty that even though she didn't know Rachel at the time, she hadn't been there to stop the men from hurting her. To stop the wife from neglecting her.

"Why? You are Princess Cassie, the brave. Princesses cry. You found me in the attic Cassie. You found me and called Shelby so you could be my mommies, and we could be keepers." Rachel told Cassie, playing with her blonde hair by twirling it on her finger. "And you look after Princess Shelby so good so she was less sad."

With that said, Rachel watched Barbra. "Why is Barbra licking your head? When is breakfast? When will we know if I was in your stomach, Shelby? We don't have to be sad anymore, ok?" Rachel asked then told both women.

It was Shelby that Rachel looked at for her answers.

The woman double blinked, taken aback by the quick change. But if Rachel didn't want to think about being sad anymore, they needed to stop being sad. Shelby reached over and stroked the back of Cassie's hand, comforting her.

"We should be able to find out some time this morning, Rachel. I can imagine Holly will come over and tell us...news like this probably shouldn't be delivered over the phone. Breakfast is whenever you're hungry, though I believe that Barbra may be vying for it now."

"Do you have any cupcakes left we can eat for breakfast? Or we could have waffles, right? Holly told me that the doctor is her girlfriend. She must not be all that bad if Holly kisses her. She does kiss the doctor, right?" Rachel rambled. "Come on, Shelby you take your shower first, right? And then me and then Cassie." Rachel told the two women a soft smile on her face. "We are going to find out today. Let's get up!"

The blonde and brunette laughed lightly, Cassie recuperating from her little emotional spur.

"We have a few cupcakes left, but they're not breakfast food. I shall make waffles." Shelby started.

"You shall?" Cassie glanced at her, still recovering, a glimmer in her eyes. Shelby placed a kiss to Cassie's temple.

"I shall."

Cassie turned to Rachel. "Yes, Holly kisses April, as they are girlfriends."

"As much as you kiss Shelby?" Rachel asked, continuing to ramble.

"Um...I'm not entirely sure about that, Rach." Cassie laughed, slightly awkwardly.

"You afraid to ask her? I will if want me too," Rachel told them. Rachel hopped out of bed and made a run towards the master bathroom. "I got to go to the bathroom. I will wash my hands. I promise." Rachel took off, leaving Cassie and Shelby for a moment alone in the Princess Bed.

"I don't think they kiss as much." Shelby joked. "What do you think?"

Cassie let out a huge yawn. "I think I'm tired and want to go back to bed," she admitted, softly.

Shelby's voice turned to that of a whisper. "It's okay to show such strong emotion. You know that."

Nodding Cassie whispered back, "I know. I know. I just... it's different. I've never felt so..."

"I know." a pause, and then Shelby said, "Cassie? Do you really think that's my baby girl? The one they took from me?"

There wasn't a doubt in Cassandra's mind at this point, about the DNA test. It was only for confirmation, anyways. Resemblance and talent promised that child was Shelby's. "She's yours, sweetheart. That's your long lost baby girl. I just know it."

Now it was Shelby's eyes that glistened. "I've missed so much." she whispered. "Look at all that they've done to her and it's all because I didn't keep her-"

"That wasn't your choice-"

"It's all my fault...he raped her, Cassie. He raped my little baby."

"It is NOT your fault, Shelby."

"But it-"

"No. No buts. What he did was the most horrible, unspeakable thing known to man." The blonde shuddered, and took her wife's hands firmly. "But it is not your fault. I mean it, okay? NEVER blame yourself for what he's done."

"I couldn't save her." Shelby whispered darkly.

"That's what you're doing now." Cassie whispered back.

In the next room, Cassie heard the familiar ringtone of her cell phone. Before she could jump out of the canopy bed, both women heard the now easily recognizable sound of their daughter pick the phone up and say hello, followed by a quick, "Cassie wants to know how often you kiss your doctor girlfriend".

"Oh...dear god..." Cassie covered her mouth and laughed, jumping to get out of the bed and rush to her phone. She waited for Rachel to get an answer and then took the phone from her, putting it up to her own ear. "For the record, Rachel was wondering. Not I."

Shelby was laughing in the background, explaining to Rachel that from now on she should probably let Cassie answer her own phone. Rachel nodded in understanding.

"For the last time, Cassandra, no we cannot have a four way. Now damn it, stop asking me such kinky questions." Holly teased her best friend. "I am only in _your_ ear, right?" she hoped she didn't just scar a little girl because of her usual banter with Cassie.

"Mmm. Luckily for you. And I have never once suggested that." she defended.

"Suggested what?" Shelby asked from across the room.

Quickly putting her hands over Rachel's eyes, Cassie mouthed the word "Four way" and then took her hands off. Rachel glanced up at her, obviously slightly upset that she didn't get to know what Cassie wasn't suggesting.

"Hot." Shelby laughed.

"I never suggested it though my wife seems up for the idea." Cassie taunted.

"I'll keep that in mind." Holly laughed. A moment later, her tone grew more serious. "I'm coming over, okay? We need to talk."

Cassie dry swallowed; the hilarity of the moment shoved aside. "Okay. Be over here fast? We have a lot to do before rehearsal."

"I'm already on my way." Holly and April were getting into her car as she spoke.

. . .

"That little girl has Shelbs and Cass wrapped around her little tiny finger," Holly said, chuckling and buckling her seatbelt. She and April were riding in April's Mercedes. On her lap were the results of the tests, in a sealed envelope as a file folder with the medical report of the examination of Rachel Berry. Stef had met them at the clinic before her shift and already had a copy of her medical findings. This was Shelby and Cassie's copy.

Holly and April together would get a third copy and make the official notification of Rachel's abuse to Child Protective Services. That would not be done, however, until the DNA results were made known to Shelby Corcoran. Holly had a game plan and she never lost a case. The lawyer was going to be very methodical so as to stack the deck in Rachel's favor, to have just cause to keep her placed right where she was. The law allowed her a few days to do the official reporting. Technically, Holly could argue later that she notified Stef within twenty four hours.

"I want that little girl laying in that princess bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in her head come Christmas Eve," April said as she drove. "I can't believe she asked you on the phone about how often we kiss." She laughed.

"She captures your heart fast, honey." Holly agreed pulling out her phone and texting her office to tell her assistant what time she would be there. "Hook line and sinker."

When they made it to the mansion, the Corcoran-July crew was shocked yet pleased to see that April was with Holly. Rachel, still unsure of the new blonde coming into her life, stood behind her protector, hiding behind Cassie's toned thigh.

Rachel found herself clutching Cassie's leg with one hand and holding onto her bear with the other, looking at this doctor suspiciously. The bright girl did notice that Holly and the doctor were holding hands. Still, she felt safest right behind Cassie.

April smiled softly at Rachel, unsure how much the girl had remembered, or if she remembered her at all. She knew she had to be gentle.

"Hi there, Rachel." She smiled, greeting Cassie and Shelby with a kiss before crouching down to Rachel's height. The young girl clasped Cassie's thigh a bit tighter. Slowly, April held her hand out to Rachel to take and shake.

Very, very hesitantly, Rachel did so.

"How do you do?" April asked her.

"I-I'm okay..." Rachel mumbled.

Cass felt tiny fingernails digging into her leg, holding onto it so tightly it hurt. Rachel's body posture was not rigid, but not relaxed either.

Slowly, the protector put her arm behind her to feel for Rachel's back. "It's okay, sweetheart." she whispered a promise. "Honest. April is a very sweet person. She's not going to hurt you." April watched, astounded, at the way Cassie acted with this little girl. She'd never seen the blonde comfort anybody, besides of course Shelby, in that way before. Rachel very slowly loosened her nail digging.

Though the doctor's main reason for being at the mansion was to deliver the DNA news. It was an unspoken reality that she was observing the interactions of this child with Cassie and Shelby. What she saw would carry weight with CPS and a judge if necessary, and what April was seeing was already threatening her ability to remain strictly professional for this. How could she manage to stay professional, when it involved her best friends and such a sweet little child? It was a very delicate case.

"Should we go inside?" Shelby suggested, rubbing her arms to get some heat running through them. She was practically shivering, but not just from the cold. "We have a lot to do in a short amount of time."

She was anxious, it was pretty obvious, but she didn't know how else to act. She was anxious and excited and nervous all at once, and she was also mentally planning the day and how she would fit everything into it. Especially since whatever news she was about to hear was going to take such an emotional toll on her. She honestly wasn't sure how she was going to make it through the day's rehearsal.

Rachel bit her lip as she watched the adults. They were not acting like friends. Not at all. Even though they had kissed in greeting, things between everyone seemed pretty tense. They all watched Shelby like she was a glass that could too easily be broken if moved the wrong way. The older brunette bit her lip, tentatively, and stared down at her hands, turning around to go inside. She didn't want them to watch her like she would explode at any moment. She didn't want to feel so uncomfortable in front of her best friends, or her wife, or her daughter. But she did.

"Mommmmmmmmyyyyyy?" Rachel called Shelby, wanting the singer's attention and her comfort. Rachel dropped Cassie's hand, which she had taken in place of her thigh, to make a grab for the back of Shelby's shirt.

"I'm here, baby." Shelby stroked the young girl's hair. "I'm here. We're going to find out the truth in a minute." She crouched down to the little girl's level and took her hands. "But remember that no matter what, you are my daughter. Okay? You are my daughter whether you are biologically or not. This information will not make me want you any less or any more. I am your mommy."

Rachel pulled on Shelby's arm. She stood on her tiptoes so she could whisper. This was super private to the young girl. Nobody but Shelby would understand how much she wanted this and how scared she was. Rachel could tell that Shelby was scared too.

"I am so scared. Please hold me and don't let go. No matter what the doctor says, ok?" Rachel begged. She was shaking now.

"Come here, sweetie." Shelby scooped the little girl up into her arms. She carried Rachel to the kitchen, and sat down with her at the table. "It's going to be okay, alright? Princess Shelby promises. I won't let go."

Quietly, Holly, April, and Cassie joined Shelby at the table. The older brunette didn't look up from her comforting of her daughter, but she could still feel their awkward stare.

"Stop staring at us." she whispered, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "Open the damn envelope already."

Rachel turned in Shelby's arms so she could straddle her soft, warm, comfortable body. She did not want to look. She really did not even want to hear but she did at the same time. She hid her face in Shelby's dark silky hair. She pressed one ear to Shelby's chest and grabbed Shelby's hand. It took Shelby a moment to understand, even though she had done something similar to Rachel this morning when she answered Cassie's phone.

Rachel pressed Shelby's hand to her ear. She would let Shelby tell her after she heard it first. It would be easier to learn the news that way.

"Shelby-" Cassie started, carefully.

"I'm fine." Shelby lied, a bit forcefully. "Tell me what it says."

Cassie decided she wasn't going to push her limits right now. She opened up the envelope and read it in her head before dropping it on the table, putting her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and brimming with happy tears.

"She's yours." She confirmed, watching as tears immediately started falling from Shelby's face and she clutched her little girl tighter. "She's your daughter, Shelby."

Shelby felt the air leave her lungs and the world go fuzzy. She cradled Rachel protectively as she felt herself start to slide out of her chair. Cassie dove to catch her and they all fell to the ground. Shelby was hyperventilating and sobbing, clutching Rachel to her.

"My baby. My baby. My baby." she whispered, continuously repeating. "My baby. My baby...oh, Rachel, my baby...my baby girl..." she couldn't calm her breathing. Her body shuddered as she sobbed, falling into Cassie's embrace. The blonde stroked her wife's hair softly, crying herself.

"You found her. We have her, Shelby."

The sudden drop and jolt sent panic into Rachel. Rachel wrapped her arms around Shelby's neck and wrapped her legs around the singer's waist and dropped down with her. She could hear the sobbing from, not only Shelby and Cassie, but Holly and April too. In her own state of shock, she started to sing under her breath and into Shelby's heaving chest.

"Twinkle, Twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are," Rachel started to sing to herself, "A,B,C,D,E,F,G.." she tried to sing the alphabet song. Nothing was working. No song was making her calm down.

_What was the results? No, it must be bad,_ Rachel thought, as she kept trying to sing. When nothing came out she just started to hum. It was the Wish Upon a Star Song Shelby that had sung the evening before.

Shelby cried harder. Holly and April joined her and Cassie and Rachel on the ground. The blond friends of theirs wrapped their arms around Shelby as well and suddenly they were all in one giant group hug.

"She's mine," Shelby shook and tried to breathe but was having difficulty. "She-she's really mine. I have her back. My-my baby girl"

April drew back suddenly. Rachel was gasping for breath; it looked similar to what she had seen last night. This was happy news. Rachel had a look of total confusion and shock.

"Corcoran, pull it together. Look at Rachel," April got both Shelby and Cassie to focus on the mini-Shelby.

"Rachel, Rachel, sweetie, you're mine. Biologically, honey, you're..." Shelby was trying to tell her, but couldn't catch her breath. "This is good news, sweetie, I've...I've finally got you. Finally. After 9 years...oh my god..." she put a hand to her heart and took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself down so she could calm down the young girl as well

"What, what, what is biolog…?" Rachel could not get past that long, strange sounding word. It sounded like a disease or somebody getting sick.

"Honey, you're my long lost daughter." Shelby whispered. "You're my wish upon a star. My...we're truly related, mother and daughter." she sucked in another breath. She was still shaking, she realized, and tried to stop. Cassie continued to stroke her arms, caress her from behind.

Shelby tried to get her brain working to comfort Rachel. She was holding her baby, HER BABY! Shelby mimicked Cassie's touches with the child shaking in her arms.

"I, I, I came out of you?" Rachel finally asked. "I lived in you and you made me?" Rachel asked, her panic now changing to quiet emotional tears. She was finally starting to understand.

Shelby laughed softly at the way Rachel understood it, wiping more tears as they just continued to fall. "Yes, sweetie. I made you."

Another thought filled Shelby with sheer terror and dread. They had taken her away for 9 years. She had been hurt and abused and raped and taken her away.

Her eyes widened thinking about it, but she knew she couldn't bring that up right now. She reached out with a shaking hand and squeezed Cassie's tightly.

"You are a part of me and I am a part of you Rachel," Shelby murmured, playing with Rachel's soft long brown hair with her other hand. "And I am not going let us ever be separated again." Shelby vowed. The singer may have been speaking to her daughter but she was giving a hard, determined, Corcoran stare at April and Holly. It was almost as a dare to let them try to separate her daughter from her arms for anything or anybody.

The two blondes nodded back determinedly. Shelby's message was loud and clear.

April cursed herself for not being able to stay professional. She had tears streaming down her face almost just as much as Cassie did.

It was such an emotional, touching moment. A moment that Shelby had begged for and needed for so long and now, finally, FINALLY, she was able to have it. A moment with her daughter. HER baby girl that NOBODY was going to take away from her again.

_Over my dead body will they take her away._ Shelby vowed to herself. Over Cassie's and Holly's and April's dead bodies too. That she knew. She could see it in their faces. In the way they watched mother and daughter so delicately reunited.

Their reunion was fragile, but it was whole and it was incredible.


	15. A Long Day's Rehearsal

**So, we don't own RENT, or Kelly Clarkson's song Underneath the Tree.**

**We're both big fans of Idina (to say the least. We are HUGE Idina fans. #1 Fanzels... haha anyways you get the picture) so we decided to add RENT in as an Idina/Shelby aspect. We hope you like it as much as we enjoyed writing it. We had an absolute blast with this chapter.**

**This chapter also touches a bit on Cassie's back story, as this plot is about to start to get thicker and much more complex.**

**Love always, keeperofwords and Hayley.**

**Chapter 15**: **A Long Day's Rehearsal**

Their lives had changed instantly, Shelby thought to herself as the three of them drove towards the auditorium for what promised to be a grueling, long day of the final dress rehearsal. The singer already found herself thinking differently.

_I am responsible for this precious life and her well-being,_ Shelby mused, looking through the rearview window at her daughter while Cassandra drove. _Cass and I are responsible for her care on a daily basis. Rachel will need clothes, shoes, toys... I will need to see about schooling, therapy and god knows what else. My precious child, I will watch over her. She has a bed under my roof where she will be kept safe and loved... That's right, I have a child at home. Cass and I can't just take off on the spur of the moment on a date or for the weekend. I will need a baby sitter for that. Do I tell my parents? Hell no. Can I get them arrested? Stop it Shelby. Focus. Rachel and Dress Rehearsal. Justice later with Holly and Stef's help. Custody as her mother in the eyes of the law comes next._

Shelby patted Cassie's leg and rubbed it as the dancer drove the short distance to the auditorium.

_I need to put her on our health insurance and add her to my will. No more quick trips in a private jet to New York City to catch opening night of a friend's new Broadway Show._

_We usually would leave early afternoon and come home very early in the morning the next day. No more parading in the house nude and making out like rabbits on the studio floor. No more skipping meals and eating at odd times. Grocery shopping will be a regular occurrence from now on... _Shelby's thoughts kept darting first one way and then another.

Shelby's eyes blinked back happy tears as she looked through the rearview mirror of Cassie's Cadillac Escalade at her sweet baby girl. She had fallen asleep not even two blocks down the road heading to the auditorium. Her baby's head leaned against the window with her Wicked Bear clutched in her hands.

_She is so beautiful,_ Shelby admired her little girl. _She looks just like me except her eyes. But those brown big eyes are so expressive._

_I must be behaving like a new parent does when she brings home a new baby. I literally can't stop looking at my baby girl. I just want to hold her and keep her against me so I can memorize everything about her,_ Shelby mused.

_It is going to be so hard to be focused. Thank God Cass will be there to take up the slack, _Shelby kept thinking.

_My baby slept as poorly as I did last night,_ Shelby thought. _I think Cass keeps a blanket in the back. All three of us could stand a nap. I have no idea how long Cass and Rachel talked last night. I am glad Rachel feels so comfortable with my wife. They have a special bond already. I am so blessed to have a wonderful life partner to raise my daughter with. Oh, my god, my daughter, my baby is right here and with me. She is in the backseat of this car, so trusting and asleep like an angel. I get to raise her. Cassie and I get to raise her. _

"I love you," Shelby whispered to Cassie, reaching over the console to stroke Cassie's cheek. "You complete me and both Rachel and I are so lucky to have you. I need you so much. You are like air to me, Cassandra July."

Cassie took one hand off the wheel and reached up to take Shelby's hand in her own. The dancer brought Shelby's hand to her lips and kissed her palm gently. "I love you, too and pledge my heart to you forever darling." Cassie kissed each finger and continued, "She looks just like you, darling, when you are asleep. I look at her and I see you. I am so damn lucky."

. . .

_I just want to take her in my arms and hold her close,_ Cass thought to herself as she looked at Rachel through the rearview mirror of her Cadillac. _She has been so raped by the world itself but she has been able to maintain and sense of innocence. She is fragile but she is so strong. Much stronger than I had to be. I had an older sister to protect me._ Cassie let herself think of things she did not usually voice out loud. She had talked to Shelby about her own childhood shit once. Shelby had never pressed for more. Shelby was always just there to hold her, touch her, and make love to her or whatever she needed when she got emotional. Shelby completed her. Rachel now made her life over the top.

_I may have to talk to Shelby again about my crap ass childhood. Even if she tries to push therapy on me, Rachel or all of us. But not today and not till we get things straight legally with Rachel,_ Cassie thought to herself, fiddling with her wedding ring. Her own troubled past's memories were subdued by the sounds of the innocent breathing of the tiny brunette in the back seat. A tiny sigh of her baby, yes her baby, chased her own hurt, angry, childhood abuse memories away.

The dancer set in a parking spot at a meter in downtown Lima as Shelby went inside to finish making the food arrangements for lunch for the kids and the adults at the caterers in one shop, and the pizza place beside it. Normally both women would go in, but things were different now. It was unspoken but the couple felt the same way. Rachel would never be left alone. One of them would be with her, or someone that either she or Shelby approved and trusted.

_Things are so different in a matter of days,_ Cassie said to herself. _And in the matter of two hours my view of the world and my place in it is altered forever. That first morning Shelbs and Rachel and I woke up on the couch I already was ready to do all I could for I felt was a sweet child that needed me._

Rachel sighed and moved her head from the window to the lay on her own shoulder in the backseat.

_My daughter, my shining star, _Cass thought to herself, momentarily distracted. _This morning I went from questioning if I could be a good mother to this child to embracing the role as a blessing and with the confidence that I can't explain. I am sitting here looking at her melting inside listening her soft breathing. But I don't feel weak because of it. I feel empowered._

Cass noticed that Shelby was done with the caterer and was going into the pizza place. Normally Cass would be drumming her fingers with impatience, or at least fiddling with her phone. Instead she was content to be with her daughter in the peace and quiet of a December morning.

_I am going to do my best so that you have the best childhood from age nine on,_ Cass promised. _You will have toys so you can be a kid. We can get you a play set in the backyard. You can learn dance, piano or sing to your heart's content for fun and if you want to do it for a living I will get you ready. I will do my best so you don't have to worry about finding a meal or where to sleep. You deserve to be a kid and have fun._

_You look just like the love of my life. Your hair is the same color, silkiness, and it shines in the light the same way. Your mannerisms are so similar and you have her determination. You have Shelby's raw talent in singing. You both look for the best in things. Shelby saw something in me that I did not see in myself and when she saw it, she nurtured it. You have accepted me and given me a chance in spite of my hard ass, sarcastic ways at times. And you come towards me._

Cass looked at the clock and then turned back in the driver's seat to face forward. She looked at Rachel in the mirror.

_You come towards me, you come towards me. I don't know if it is that you sense we have had similar situations or if I seem more approachable because you want to protect Shelby. But I am so honored you feel you can talk and open up to me,_ Cass thought to herself. _I know before I heard the DNA results I wanted to kill the Reverend. I still am very angry. But I no longer have the urge to murder him. How could I be there for you and your mother if I did that? I don't just have to think of a wife, I have a family now. I have a family that needs me and I need them._

_Weekend Getaways will be different. Disney World instead of a making love on a private beach. No girl get-a-ways with my wife, Holly and April at nude beaches. Instead we will play in the waves, build sandcastles. I can't wait to take Rachel to Broadway. Listen to me, am I Cassandra July? Hell yeah,_ Cassie chuckled to herself as she thought.

. . .

Later on in the day, Rachel skipped up to the food table behind the stage and looked at all the choices. The brunette was not used to seeing food around and able to be eaten all the time. And her mommy said she could eat any of it that she wanted too. She bit her lip, not knowing quite what to do. Mama was dancing. Mommy was standing in front of some teenagers with sheet music in her hand. Rachel had been told when the food was delivered that she could eat when she wanted to. But actually coming to do it was another story.

It was so much. It made her nervous to have to decide. Rachel remembered that when she was with the Reverend at the church meals she was to eat last when everyone else had eaten. But people kept getting food and eating. Some people were making more than one trip.

_Can I go now?_ Rachel asked herself. _Am I allowed now? Even if I am, it's so much, how do I know what to do and pick up? Mommy._ Rachel decided._ Mommy will help me._

Quietly, Rachel moved from the table and slid around some adults gathered around the stage stairs. Rachel remembered what Mama Cassie had told her about just coming up to hold her hand, in case she got out-of-hand frustrated.

Shelby pointed at her altos and made them sing their part alone.

"One of you are not coming in on the off-beat," Shelby frowned. "It's not that you don't know it, it's focusing that you're having trouble with. I know there are many things going on around us, but look alive, people! If you want to make it in this business, you have to learn to block out distractions and PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR JOB!"

_Hell, I am one to talk, _Shelby thought to herself, wondering where Rachel went. _Or yell, for that matter. Damn, these concerts are stressful…_She had seen Rachel beside the food table looking at the food just a second ago. _Except as a mother now, I have to have to learn to focus on more than one thing at a time._

Back in line," Shelby told the four girls, "Let's hear the sopranos and altos _only_ this time. Get it right and we can take a break for lunch."

Shelby felt the tiny hand reach into hers just as she was about to point at the second soprano to come into the chorus.

"Mommy," Rachel tried to talk softly, looking up at her singer mother, "I'm hungry."

Shelby stopped her choir and turned to Rachel, warmly.

"Honey, there's a whole table full of food there that you can eat whatever you want off of, okay?" Shelby let her know, with a smile.

"Yes," Rachel said, "Except I don't know what to eat." she tried to explain. "There's so much of it. Help me?"

With a soft grin, Shelby said, "Let me direct this one more time, alright?"

Rachel nodded. Shelby turned to her choir and pointed at the altos.

"Altos start on the off-beat. 5-6-7-8...sopranos...seconds...good!" all of the voices together blended beautifully. Rachel clapped for them when they were done.

"Yay!" she exclaimed and then turned to Shelby. "Will you help me now?" her stomach growled.

"Yes, sweetheart." Shelby laughed as Rachel took her hand and led her to the food table. Shelby picked up a Styrofoam plate and started walking. "What do you like to eat?" she asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know. Reverend usually only let me eat sandwiches..." the young girl glanced at all of the food on the table. "But none of these are sandwiches..."

"You're right." Shelby laughed lightly. "They're not. Well are you hungry enough to try a bit of everything?" she asked.

The young girl nodded hurriedly and Shelby wondered if she was going to have another Cassie on her hands-stomach always hungry-a somehow bottomless pit who could eat nonstop and gain no weight.

"Okay, well we'll give you a small slice of pizza...some carrots and ranch...a bread stick...and a few strawberries...there. Is that good for now?"

Rachel nodded again and smiled, grateful that she had a mommy to help her. "Thank you." she said, shyly.

Shelby kissed the top of her head. "Of course." she led Rachel to a table where some other kids were eating and set her plate down. "I have to go back to my students now. Will you be okay here?"

Rachel nodded. As long as she could see her Mama or Mommy from across the room, she was okay.

"Okay. Cassie and I are right over there if you need us," She promised. She watched as Rachel dipped her pizza in her ranch and took a bite. The older brunette laughed and rolled her eyes. "You ARE just like your Mama." she let Rachel know.

The young girl grinned cheekily.

. . .

To Rachel it seemed little groups were still practicing certain things. One group would do one thing and then another group would do another. The groups not doing something would watch in the seats or do something to wait. Rachel was a good watcher. She always had been. The littlest kids were playing a game of some sort. She would ask to play but she was shy and not used to being around other kids. The kids about her age and just a little older were watching some of the older kids practice. They seemed to be really interested in how the older ones that looked sort of grown up to her were dancing and singing at the same time. Now the ones that Rachel did not see, were the teenagers.

Rachel stood up from her place at the bottom of the steps of the stage and decided she would find them. She saw Mama look at her with a smile and wink and then go back to speaking to one of her classes. Rachel was tired of sitting on these steps anyway. Her bottom was starting to get cold. Rachel looked in the direction of her mommy. Mommy was walking down into this big hole were the musicians were with all these different kinds of instruments. She caught Rachel looking at her and stopped to blow her a kiss. It made Rachel feel all warm inside.

It was then that she heard something coming from behind the curtains, back stage. It was laughing. That got Rachel's attention. Nobody else was laughing around this big place. Rachel stood up and followed the direction of the snickering of boys and gasps of girls. The young brunette recognized the sound of a TV.

_Are they watching a movie?_ Rachel was curious. _I bet my mommies won't like that if they are supposed to be reading for their show. Wonder what is so funny?_

Rachel instinctively knew that the teenagers would not like a younger kid back there with them. She had been around enough teenagers at the group home she had spent a little time at. They tended to yell and pick on you if you got to close and they thought you were into "their business".

She lowered herself onto the ground and lifted the curtain up so she could look. She lifted the curtain just enough so that only her face was visible. It was then that she noticed there was a group gathered around a big TV that someone had turned on. There were two ladies talking. Rachel felt she recognized one of the voices. The TV was too far away. She would have to go towards the other side of the stage. Rachel crawled on her hands and knees along the bottom of the curtain. Rachel recognized that voice. It was her mommy.

_Was Mommy on another show? I want to see Mommy on TV. Why is it so funny?_ Rachel asked herself, coming into the back of the stage.

Standing up, she walked towards the sounds of talking. Her mommy was wearing leather pants and was sitting at a table with this other lady. They were at a party and her mommy was not happy. Rachel listened for a few minutes. The ladies were mad at each other.

_This is pretend right? Mommy and Mama did not behave like that when they did not like what the other one said. What is a nipple piercing?_ Rachel asked herself, curious. _Whatever it is makes the boys laugh really hard._

Now the two women were singing. Rachel could see the screen better now, because a girl had moved over just a little bit. Her mommy was standing on a table singing. Her mommy was a real good singer.

_Why is she showing her stomach though?_ Rachel asked herself as the kids laughed as her mommy sang.

**_"_****_Take me for what I am. Who I was meant to be, and if you give a damn, take me baby or leave me…"_**

_Ohh I like this song,_ Rachel said to herself. _Mommy dances good singing this song. I want to sing this song too. I will learn the words._

"Play it again, I want to hear the beginning," one of the boys said.

"You just liked her talking about her nipple piercings," another said, sticking their tongue out at him.

"I wonder if she calls Ms. July Pookie," one of the girls giggled.

"Play it again," Rachel found herself saying. "I want to learn the words."

All of the kids looked at her but none said any of the mean things that the ones in the group home said.

"Sure, kid. Just don't tell Ms. Corcoran or Ms. July we're back here," another teenager told her.

So they watched it over and over.

"Rewind it, I want to see Ms. Corcoran's ass!" the boy who had asked to play it again originally told the group.

"There is a kid present," a girl told the boy, "This is not rated G. Don't you have a little sister? Would you let her watch that?"

Suddenly, every single person in front of the screen froze, their blood running cold, when the thick stage curtain was ripped back and the voice of Coach Corcoran rang through the stage.

"What the HELL do I hear about wanting to see my ass?" she demanded of her teenagers, hands on her hips. Her wife stood next to her, trying to decide if she was going to laugh about this or not.

Every single face turned pale in fear. They hadn't expected Shelby to find out what they were doing. They looked from Shelby to Cassie, their hearts pounding. Was Cassie going to yell? What was Shelby going to do to them?!

Before anything could happen, Rachel ran up to Shelby and jumped up into her arms. "Mommy! Mommy! What's a nipple piercing?" Rachel crinkled her nose. "And why did you want to get them? Were you acting or was that for real? Why did you start to take your shirt off? Does Mama approve?"

"Rachel-" Cassie tried to stop her as she could see Shelby's face getting redder and redder.

"That boy," Rachel pointed to the guilty one. "Said he wanted to see your ass? I thought the bible said an ass was a donkey? If not what is it?"

Some of the teenager's stifled laughter, and even though Cassie was doing the same, she glared them down, hard. They covered their mouths and widened their eyes.

"Rachel, honey, we will talk about this..." Shelby was nearly stuttering. "But right now I need to have a word with my students." She motioned for Cassie to take Rachel away. The blonde was just about in hysterics but trying desperately to hide it.

Shelby spun around, fuming.

"Are you going to yell, Mommy?"

"Probably, sweetheart. Cassie please take Rachel out to the lobby for a moment."

The blonde locked eyes with her wife, hers sparkling with hilarity. She pressed her lips together into a fine line, aware that if she laughed in front of their students, Shelby would never touch her again. She did as Shelby asked and the brunette stared her students down, hard, grabbing for the remote, turning the TV off, and throwing the remote across the stage.

"One of you," her voice was a low, raspy whisper. Much more threatening than any yelling would be. "I'm not sure which one of you, but one of you brought this in. First of all, this does NOT look like rehearsing to me. Secondly, whoever thinks it's amusing to rewind it so you can see my ass, needs to think again. Third, if you think that showing an almost R rated movie like THIS to my 9 year old daughter is going to get you in my good graces..."

"We didn't KNOW she was your daughter!" a teenager's eyes were wide and confused.

"You still think this is okay for a 9 year old to see?! Do you understand what this movie's about?! How DARE you disrespect your coach? Do you have ANY idea how irresponsible this was? You have a concert TOMORROW. If you want to watch Rent on YOUR time, so fucking be it. But this is MY time and you WILL NOT waste it. Is that understood?!"

No one spoke. No one was brave enough to utter a sound. It wasn't often that Shelby swore at them—usually that was Cassie's job.

Shelby took a slow, deep breath. "You all better hope Cassie doesn't get her hands on you. How much did my daughter see?" her voice calmed a bit, but not by much.

Still, no one said a word.

"HOW MUCH?" Shelby demanded again. She'd never been so humiliated in her life. She knew she'd been being too easy with these kids recently.

"Only Take Me or Leave Me."

Shelby sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Well now thanks you to I have to explain to my 9 year old what a nipple piercing is, and why her Mommy was wishing for one, so thank you, for that." she rolled her eyes. "Get out on stage, now, all of you."

They did so, hurriedly, afraid that Shelby might reach out and smack one of them for good measure. She did no such thing, against her better judgment.

"Those damn kids," she sighed.

Meanwhile, Cassie had made her way, with Rachel, back into the auditorium. As Shelby walked past the teenagers, who took their places on stage, Cassie passed Rachel to Shelby, making her way up onto the stage and clapping her hands to get the teenager's attention.

"Do you see that ass?" she asked them, pointing. "That's MY ass." she let them know. "No one gets to rewind Rent just to stare at it except for me, got it?"

"Does Ms. Corcoran call you Pookie?" One teenagers was gutsy enough to ask.

"Get your ass in line." Cassie rolled her eyes and laughed.

The students knew that Shelbs and Cass were mad, but not truly mad. They knew they'd humiliated Shelby but that she still loved them. They knew they made Cassie jealous but that she also still loved them. Technically they all considered themselves lucky that yelling was all they did.

After finishing up a bit more of rehearsal, they all went on a break. Shelby and Cassie walked off of the stage knowing, with a touch of nervousness, that they would somehow have to explain to Rachel what all of that was about.

The young girl waited patiently in the front row, kicking her legs back and forth and perking her head up when she saw her mommies walking towards her.

"So what's a nipple piercing?" Rachel asked Shelby immediately. "And an ass? And why were you with someone who's not Mama? You didn't answer ANY of my questions earlier!"

"I will answer, I will." Shelby crouched down onto her knees and Cassie did the same, letting her wife take control of this situation. "Rachel, honey, a nipple piercing is not a cool thing. Mommy was just acting in a role, okay? It was just for pretend. That other woman was my costar. Her name in the movie is Joanne. And ass is not a good word, so we're not supposed to say it, okay? It's a grown up word for bottom."

"That boy wanted to see your butt?" Rachel crinkled her nose and giggled. "Why?"

Cassie was tempted to say something about how seeing Shelby's ass was like seeing the eighth wonder of the world, but Shelby, knowing her wife, put a hand over Cassandra's mouth, before responding, "I don't know, sweetheart. But he was talked to about it. I'm sorry you had to see what you did."

Rachel shrugged. "The song was good. It was catchy."

"I don't ever want to hear you sing it, okay? It has bad words in it and it's not for children to sing."

Nodding, Rachel agreed. "Okay. Can I go talk to the other kids?"

"Yes, but not about me in that movie, okay?" Shelby kissed the girl's forehead and she ran off, tentative at first but then striking up some sort of conversation with a few girls that were her age. One of them was Stef's daughter, Mariana.

"At least she's attempting to make friends with similar interests," Shelby stood from her crouch and Cassie did the same. "That's a start, right?"

Cassie wasn't paying attention. Instead, she grinned a devilish and flirty grin, grabbing Shelby's ass with both hands and pulling her close. "You know," she teased, making it so that their hips were practically up against each other. "Nipple piercings might not be so bad."

"Gross..." Shelby laughed, faking trying to pull away from her wife. "Get off of me you perv." she teased.

"Mmm but that ass of yours..." Cassie continued with a sly grin. "Is mine." she emphasized her words and tightened her grip, making Shelby blush and almost swoon. "No one else should be able to stare at it."

"It's just a movie, baby." Shelby whispered with a small laugh. "We can only assume that many people have watched it…"

"But it's a movie where they get to see this ass not only in leather pants, but completely naked. And that's my job." Cassie said enviously.

"Is this jealousy I detect?" Shelby whispered into her lover's ear. Cassie placed a tender kiss on Shelby's neck.

"Perhaps." she whispered.

"You wear it well, my dear." Shelby whispered back.

. . .

The dress rehearsal was long and taxing to say the least. However, even though Cassie and Shelby were finally home with Rachel, they knew their jobs would never be done. Especially now that they would have a little one running around. Then there was the fact that only the day's dress rehearsal was done, and after the dinner break, they'd have to go back for a final straight through night rehearsal.

"You know that she's yours now, right?" Cassie asked softly as she and Shelby did a last minute double check in the studio. They wanted to make sure that everything they needed for the concert was up at the auditorium, and that all of the sheet music and what-not was there as well, before they ate dinner and headed back up there. Shelby looked up and smiled at her wife. "I mean, she was taken from you illegally. Technically you don't even have to adopt her, you have maternal rights."

"You'll still have to adopt her though," Shelby said, thoughtfully. "I mean...technically."

"Right." Cassie said at a whisper. "But at least you won't."

Shelby nodded in contemplation, and then sighed, taking her wife's hands and intertwining their fingers together. Rachel was in the next room over, playing with Barbra. "We'll still have to take them to court though. Especially if we want to see them locked up."

Tightening her grasp on Shelby's hands, Cassie said through clenched teeth, "I want to see them more than just locked up."

"I do too. Of course I do. But we can't have anything else done to them and you know that."

"I know." Cassie sighed, sucking in a breath. "I know."

Shelby could sense that there was something deeper here going on with her wife. Something serious was at play underneath the surface. She'd never seen Cassandra so fervently hate someone in her entire life. She'd never seen her get so protective about something. Never seen her so adamant to be the protector-the savior. Shelby had a slight clue of what this could all be about to Cassandra, but wasn't going to be the first one to bring it up and upset her. She hoped that Cassie might tell her willingly. Gently, she let her thumb very slowly massage circles on the back of Cassie's hand. "Tell me what wrong, sweetheart." she begged.

With a small shake of her head, Cassie whispered, "There's nothing going on. I'm just...I'm her protector and that's what I'm going to do. Protect her. And part of that is making sure none of those men-or that woman, for that matter-ever go near her again."

Her wife took a deep breath. She knew they couldn't ignore this forever, just like how before, they couldn't ignore Shelby's nightmares. "Like how your sister was your protector?" She whispered. She regretted it immediately when she saw Cassie start to tense up. The blonde unhooked her fingers from Shelby's and dry swallowed, turning around and acting as if she didn't hear her. She went back to checking sheet music.

Before Shelby could apologize, or try to talk about it further, or whatever she was planning on doing, Rachel made her way into the studio. "Mama, Mommy!" she giggled, running and crashing into Cassie's legs. Cassie let out a little laugh, her entire demeanor changing.

"Hello, my shining star." She grinned.

"Shining star! You're calling me your shining star?" Rachel asked excitedly, holding her arms up so that Cassie would pick her up. The blonde obliged.

"That's right." Cassie kissed her cheek then asked, "I hope that's okay?"

"It's perfect!" Rachel's smile was effervescent.

"Okay, good." Cassie gave her a tight hug before setting her back down on the studio floor. "What's up, Rach?"

"Can you and Mommy sing and dance for me?" Rachel bit her lip and asked. "I saw you perform earlier but what about other Christmas songs?"

"Hmm. I don't know Rach," Cassie let out a huge yawn. "Mommy and I should really start dinner…"

"Pleasssseeeeee?" Big, brown, imploring eyes looked up at her, begging. "Just one? And then we can eat dinner?"

Cassandra cast a glance over towards her wife, shrugging her shoulders. Shelby gave her a nod and Rachel clapped, excitedly, rushing over to take a seat on the piano bench.

Knowing she had Kelly Clarkson's Christmas CD (karaoke version) already in her stereo, Cassie thought of the perfect song, and lead Shelby towards the stereo so she could turn it on. All traces of tension that was there between them only moments before had disappeared. _She'll talk about it when she's ready._ Shelby decided, taking Cassandra's hand in hers.

"A quick step," Cassie informed her. "Underneath the Tree?"

"Okay." Shelby knew the song-she and Cassie sang it all the time.

"Follow my lead," Cassie smiled softly.

"Always." Shelby promised, pulling Cassie's hand up to her lips and kissing it, lightly.

Cassie continued to smile as she started the music.

Shelby began the singing as Cassie led her in steps across the studio.

_"You're here where you should be_

_Snow is falling as the carolers sing_

_It just wasn't the same_

_Alone on Christmas day..._

_Presents, what a beautiful sight_

_Don't mean a thing if you ain't holding me tight_

_You're all that I need_

_Underneath the tree_

_Tonight."_ Shelby sang the intro.

_"I'm gonna hold you close..." _She did so, and Cassie flipped her over her shoulder. Shelby landed perfectly in Cassie's arms before dropping down, as they continued to dance.

_"Make sure that you know,_

_I was lost before you._

_Christmas was cold and grey_

_Another holiday alone to celebrate..._

_But then, one day, everything changed,_

_You're all I need,_

_Underneath the tree..."_

Cassie started the next verse after swooping Shelby under her legs and then swooping her back.

_"You're here, where you should be,_

_Snow is falling as the carolers sing,_

_It just wasn't the same,_

_Alone on Christmas day..._

_Presents, what a beautiful sight_

_Don't mean a thing if you ain't holding me tight_

_You're all that I need_

_Underneath the tree..._

_I found what I was looking for_

_A love that's meant for me_

_A heart that's mine completely."_ She gave Shelby a quick peck on the lips before they continued, Cassie dropping down into a split and Shelby pulling her back up.

_"Knocked me right off my feet..._

_And this year I will fall..."_ she did a trust fall into Shelby's arms.

_"With no worries at all..._

_'Cause you are near, and everything's clear._

_You're all I need_

_Underneath the tree..."_

They both sang the next verse. Rachel watched in awe at the stars that she called her mothers. They were incredible and she hoped one day to be the same.

_"You're here, where you should be,_

_Snow is falling as the carolers sing_

_It just wasn't the same_

_Alone on Christmas day_

_Presents, what a beautiful sight_

_Don't mean a thing if you ain't holding me tight_

_You're all that I need_

_Underneath the tree,_

_And then one day everything changed_

_You're all I need_

_Underneath the tree_

_You're here where you should be_

_Snow is falling as the carolers sing_

_It just wasn't the same_

_Alone on Christmas day_

_Presents, what a beautiful sight_

_Don't mean a thing if you ain't holding me tight_

_You're all that I need_

_Underneath the tree_

_Tonight."_

As they finished, they were only slightly winded, but even more exhausted than they had been before, not to mention very hungry. They gave each other a kiss, and Shelby whispered an, "I love you."

"I love you too," Cassie whispered back. Their eyes spoke a silent promise to talk later, whether Cassie wanted to or not.

"And now," Shelby turned to Rachel and laughed, rushing towards her and tickling her. "It's time for mommies and daughters to make and eat dinner, so that mommies and daughters can get back to rehearsal."


End file.
